Syria: Geneva Call launches “Fighter not Killer” — a media campaign on the rules of war
21 October 2016
On 20th October 2016, with hostilities ongoing in Syria, Geneva Call relaunched its “Fighter not Killer” media campaign on the rules of war.
Until December, video clips presenting such basic humanitarian rules as the prohibitions against targeting civilians or civilian buildings, will be disseminated extensively across Syria via major television channels including Al Aan and Orient TV, and via social media and major websites. Geneva Call is also promoting the rules of war through a mobile telephone application on which fighters can test their knowledge of humanitarian norms.
Over the last few months, the humanitarian situation in Syria has continued to deteriorate: medical structures are regularly attacked, the civilian population is targeted, torture in detention is widespread and millions of people were forces to leave their homes because of the ongoing fighting. With this background, the campaign seeks to raise awareness about the rules of war among the fighters from all parties and remind them of their obligation to respect humanitarian norms and protect the civilian population. The campaign also seeks to encourage civil society to promote, these norms and values..
This campaign backs up Geneva Call’s regular activities in Syria, where it has engaged with some armed non-State actors (ANSAs) active in the country, including Kurdish armed forces and some brigades of the Free Syrian Army. Since 2013, Geneva Call has conducted training sessions on humanitarian norms for hundreds of combatants and a number of civil society organizations; it has supported several ANSAs in their work to improve their internal codes of conduct and has promoted the signature of humanitarian commitments.
Geneva Call first disseminated the “Fighter not Killer” campaign in Syria in 2013, and it has since used it in other conflict-affected countries, such as Iraq in 2015 where it is was viewed by millions of people or the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2016.
All videos the mobile application and the training booklets are hosted on www.figthernotkiller.org.
The campaign is supported by the European Union Humanitarian Aid, in partnership with Danish Church Aid (DCA).
