The Wire

From Darfur to Kabul and Sudan to Gaza, humanitarian workers have been attacked, killed, abducted and prevented from fulfilling their life-saving roles. International Humanitarian Law along with the treaties of the Geneva Convention are supposed to provide protection for humanitarian aid workers working in countries with armed conflict. But only a few weeks ago the bodies of eight foreign aid workers and two Afghan interpreters were recovered in a remote forested area of Afghanistan after being robbed and shot by Taliban insurgents. In light of these recent attacks, Ellie Sibson investigates whether International Humanitarian Law is really effective.