International humanitarian law: Indian perspective

Human rights form a fundamental component of any democracy (Landman, 2013). Its enforcement attaches a significance of equal measure. It is imperative therefore for any country that purports to uphold and observe the principles of democracy to put in place strong legal frameworks and institutional structures to ensure the attainment of human rights. In order to gain a substantial insight to this topic, it is imminent to first gain an in-depth understanding of what international humanitarian law means, what in encompasses and the its modus operandi. The United Nation has made significant legislative and institutional strides towards ensuring that both member and non-member states treat their citizens with dignity and humanely. In these regards, International Human Rights Law, which is intended to advocate for and to protect human rights at international, regional and domestic fronts, suffices. Made up of treaties between member states, international humanitarian law contains obligations and penalties for non-conforming states. Member states ratify the treaties as a sign of legally binding themselves to the obligations therein. Some members ratify the treaties in whole while others take it in part. A majority of the members domesticate the treaties through national legislations. The treaties that make up international humanitarian law range from regional treaties to international treaties. This paper tries to analyze the position in India and how far India ensuring its enforcement.