Civilian Casualties Ratio

The Civilian Harm Watchdog

CIVIC envisions a world in which no civilian is harmed in conflict. We support communities affected by conflict in their quest for protection and strengthen the resolve and capacity of armed actors to prevent and respond to civilian harm.

We campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all

The Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) has recorded ongoing violent conflicts since the 1970s. The data provided is one of the most accurate and well-used data-sources on global armed conflicts and its definition of armed conflict is becoming a standard in how conflicts are systematically defined and studied.

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI): the independent resource on global security

The 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols protect people who do not take part in the fighting and those who can no longer fight.

The use of explosive weapons in populated areas is one of the most immediate threats to civilians in contemporary armed conflict. Civilians account for the vast majority of people who are killed or injured when aerial bombs, rockets, artillery projectiles, mortars, and missiles are used in populated areas. The wide-area effects of some explosive weapons – which result from a broad blast or fragmentation radius, inaccuracy, and/or the delivery of multiple munitions at once – greatly exacerbate the humanitarian consequences. The use of explosive weapons in towns and cities also has long-term indirect, or “reverberating,” effects on housing, schools, infrastructure, cultural heritage and on access to food, water, and essential services. More than 85 countries have endorsed a 2022 political declaration committing to adopt and implement national policies and practices to help avoid and address civilian harm, including by restricting or refraining from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. Human Rights Watch is a founding member of the International Network on Explosive Weapons.

Urban warfare endangers the lives of civilians and the infrastructure they depend on, while its humanitarian consequences persist years after the fighting ends.

Militaries are increasingly targeting “dual-use objects”—objects that serve both civilian and military purposes. Drawing on an original dataset of the U.S. military’s airstrike reports and ground reporting in Iraq and Syria, this Article illustrates how targeting such

Under the principle of distinction under international humanitarian law, certain people and objects enjoy protection against attacks.

Civilians have been the main victims of war. Protecting civilians and their property during armed conflict is a cornerstone of international humanitarian law.

Background: There is a need for statistical methodologies that scrutinize civilian casualties in conflicts, evaluating the degree to which the conduct of war...

The conflict in Gaza is a classic example of irregular warfare, a form of warfare in which one side fights another to achieve political goals via indirect

International humanitarian law, (IHL) is a set of rules which seek to limit the effects of armed conflict. It is also known as the rules of war.