Between Rights, Sovereignty and Cooperation: Responding to Victims of Armed Conflict

Although the humanitarian effects of armed conflict are vast and transcend national boundaries, international law does not yet provide an adequate or comprehensive response to the suffering of victims of war. This article argues considerations of State sovereignty have shaped the development of international law on post-war redress, hindering the emergence of individual rights to reparations under international humanitarian law. Meanwhile, alternative models such as victim assistance, which largely preserve sovereignty, are emerging in pockets of international humanitarian law, such as weapons treaties. This article suggests that victim assistance offers a potential model for addressing the harm to victims of armed conflict more broadly.