International Review of the Red Cross: humanitarian debate: law, policy, action / International Committee of the Red Cross.

A sense of self-perceived collective victimhood in intractable conflicts / Daniel Bar-Tal, Noa Schori, Lily Chernyak-Hai and Ayelet Gundar Victim identity and respect for human dignity: a terminological analysis / Valerie Meredith Various mechanisms and approaches for implementing international humanitarian law and protecting and assisting war victims Toni Pfanner International assistance for victims of use of nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical weapons: time for a reality check? Dominique Loye and Robin Coupland The war dead and their gravesites / Anna Petrig Facilitating humanitarian assistance in international humanitarian and human rights law / Rebecca Barber ICRC operational security: staff safety in armed conflict and internal violence / Patrick Brugger

The notion of 'war victims' has several connotations: from its narrow sense in international law - where it denotes a person who has been harmed by the consequences of an internationally unlawful act - to its broader sense where it refers to all persons whom humanitarian law seeks to protect in armed conflict. Indeed, it is this latter understanding which is used in the domain of humanitarian action. From a humanitarian perspective, armed conflicts and violence are about people – the risks, vulnerabilities and suffering they are exposed to, and the actions that must be undertaken to prevent, mitigate or put an end to that suffering. In this spirit, the present edition focuses on the people affected by armed violence, and on how they can be better protected, assisted, and treated with dignity.