Respecting and Caring for the Dead

When people are killed in armed conflict, the states concerned must ensure that their bodies are identified and handed over to their families as soon as possible. This is not only a legal obligation that they must comply with, it is also a humanitarian endeavor and a fundamental human value. Helen Obregon, ICRC legal advisor, and Carlos Villalobos, CTA-Bureau's forensic manager, discuss the Geneva Conventions' provisions relating to the dead, preventive measures that can be taken to ensure identification, and challenges that arise when hostilities prevent access to the battlefield.