The Ambiguous Protection of Schools Under the Law of War

This article considers whether the law of war provides school buildings with a less privileged status than it gives to hospitals and religious buildings. It proposes that three critical issues necessarily affect any legal regime that seeks to establish privileged status for a specific type of building during war: 1) defining which buildings qualify; 2) ensuring maintenance of privileged status by prohibiting their military use; and 3) ensuring their recognition by armed forces. It proposes that the law of war should adopt for schools a modern privilege that answers the above three issues. It asserts that school buildings have an inherent value to society that merits independent protection.

Resource Info

Resource Type

Journal Article

Published

Published by

Georgetown Journal of International Law

Authored by

Gregory Raymond Bart

Topic(s)

Protection