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Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War 1949, para. undefined
- Paragraph text
- Art. 137. Each national Bureau shall immediately forward information concerning protected persons by the most rapid means to the Powers in whose territory they resided, through the intermediary of the Protecting Powers and likewise through the Central Agency provided for in Article 140. The Bureaux shall also reply to all enquiries which may be received regarding protected persons. Information Bureaux shall transmit information concerning a protected person unless its transmission might be detrimental to the person concerned or to his or her relatives. Even in such a case, the information may not be withheld from the Central Agency which, upon being notified of the circumstances, will take the necessary precautions indicated in Article 140. All communications in writing made by any Bureau shall be authenticated by a signature or a seal.
- Legal status
- Legally binding
- Body
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- Document type
- International treaty
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 1949
Paragraph
Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War 1949, para. undefined
- Paragraph text
- Art. 26. Each Party to the conflict shall facilitate enquiries made by members of families dispersed owing to the war, with the object of renewing contact with one another and of meeting, if possible. It shall encourage, in particular, the work of organizations engaged on this task provided they are acceptable to it and conform to its security regulations.
- Legal status
- Legally binding
- Body
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- Document type
- International treaty
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 1949
Paragraph
Convention (III) relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War 1949, para. undefined
- Paragraph text
- Art 70. Immediately upon capture, or not more than one week after arrival at a camp, even if it is a transit camp, likewise in case of sickness or transfer to hospital or to another camp, every prisoner of war shall be enabled to write direct to his family, on the one hand, and to the Central Prisoners of War Agency provided for in Article 123, on the other hand, a card similar, if possible, to the model annexed to the present Convention, informing his relatives of his capture, address and state of health. The said cards shall be forwarded as rapidly as possible and may not be delayed in any manner.
- Legal status
- Legally binding
- Body
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- Document type
- International treaty
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 1949
Paragraph
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 1990, para. 1
- Paragraph text
- State Parties to the present Charter shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that a child who is seeking refugee status or who is considered a refugee in accordance with applicable international or domestic law shall, whether unaccompanied or accompanied by parents, legal guardians or close relatives, receive appropriate protection and humanitarian assistance in the enjoyment of the rights set out in this Charter and other international human rights and humanitarian instruments to which the States are Parties.
- Legal status
- Legally binding
- Body
- Organization of African Unity
- Document type
- Regional treaty
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 1990
Paragraph
Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War 1949, para. undefined
- Paragraph text
- Art. 50. The Occupying Power shall, with the cooperation of the national and local authorities, facilitate the proper working of all institutions devoted to the care and education of children. The Occupying Power shall take all necessary steps to facilitate the identification of children and the registration of their parentage. It may not, in any case, change their personal status, nor enlist them in formations or organizations subordinate to it. Should the local institutions be inadequate for the purpose, the Occupying Power shall make arrangements for the maintenance and education, if possible by persons of their own nationality, language and religion, of children who are orphaned or separated from their parents as a result of the war and who cannot be adequately cared for by a near relative or friend. A special section of the Bureau set up in accordance with Article 136 shall be responsible for taking all necessary steps to identify children whose identity is in doubt. Particulars of their parents or other near relatives should always be recorded if available. The Occupying Power shall not hinder the application of any preferential measures in regard to food, medical care and protection against the effects of war which may have been adopted prior to the occupation in favour of children under fifteen years, expectant mothers, and mothers of children under seven years.
- Legal status
- Legally binding
- Body
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- Document type
- International treaty
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 1949
Paragraph
Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War 1949, para. undefined
- Paragraph text
- Art. 140. A Central Information Agency for protected persons, in particular for internees, shall be created in a neutral country. The International Committee of the Red Cross shall, if it deems necessary, propose to the Powers concerned the organization of such an Agency, which may be the same as that provided for in Article 123 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of 12 August 1949. The function of the Agency shall be to collect all information of the type set forth in Article 136 which it may obtain through official or private channels and to transmit it as rapidly as possible to the countries of origin or of residence of the persons concerned, except in cases where such transmissions might be detrimental to the persons whom the said information concerns, or to their relatives. It shall receive from the Parties to the conflict all reasonable facilities for effecting such transmissions. The High Contracting Parties, and in particular those whose nationals benefit by the services of the Central Agency, are requested to give the said Agency the financial aid it may require. The foregoing provisions shall in no way be interpreted as restricting the humanitarian activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross and of the relief Societies described in Article 142.
- Legal status
- Legally binding
- Body
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- Document type
- International treaty
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 1949
Paragraph
Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War 1949, para. undefined
- Paragraph text
- Art. 25. All persons in the territory of a Party to the conflict, or in a territory occupied by it, shall be enabled to give news of a strictly personal nature to members of their families, wherever they may be, and to receive news from them. This correspondence shall be forwarded speedily and without undue delay. If, as a result of circumstances, it becomes difficult or impossible to exchange family correspondence by the ordinary post, the Parties to the conflict concerned shall apply to a neutral intermediary, such as the Central Agency provided for in Article 140, and shall decide in consultation with it how to ensure the fulfilment of their obligations under the best possible conditions, in particular with the cooperation of the National Red Cross (Red Crescent, Red Lion and Sun) Societies. If the Parties to the conflict deem it necessary to restrict family correspondence, such restrictions shall be confined to the compulsory use of standard forms containing twenty-five freely chosen words, and to the limitation of the number of these forms despatched to one each month.
- Legal status
- Legally binding
- Body
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- Document type
- International treaty
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 1949
Paragraph
Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War 1949, para. undefined
- Paragraph text
- Art. 24. The Parties to the conflict shall take the necessary measures to ensure that children under fifteen, who are orphaned or are separated from their families as a result of the war, are not left to their own resources, and that their maintenance, the exercise of their religion and their education are facilitated in all circumstances. Their education shall, as far as possible, be entrusted to persons of a similar cultural tradition. The Parties to the conflict shall facilitate the reception of such children in a neutral country for the duration of the conflict with the consent of the Protecting Power, if any, and under due safeguards for the observance of the principles stated in the first paragraph. They shall, furthermore, endeavour to arrange for all children under twelve to be identified by the wearing of identity discs, or by some other means.
- Legal status
- Legally binding
- Body
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- Document type
- International treaty
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 1949
Paragraph
Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War 1949, para. undefined
- Paragraph text
- Art. 82. The Detaining Power shall, as far as possible, accommodate the internees according to their nationality, language and customs. Internees who are nationals of the same country shall not be separated merely because they have different languages. Throughout the duration of their internment, members of the same family, and in particular parents and children, shall be lodged together in the same place of internment, except when separation of a temporary nature is necessitated for reasons of employment or health or for the purposes of enforcement of the provisions of Chapter IX of the present Section. Internees may request that their children who are left at liberty without parental care shall be interned with them. Wherever possible, interned members of the same family shall be housed in the same premises and given separate accommodation from other internees, together with facilities for leading a proper family life.
- Legal status
- Legally binding
- Body
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- Document type
- International treaty
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 1949
Paragraph
Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War 1949, para. undefined
- Paragraph text
- Art. 138. The information received by the national Bureau and transmitted by it shall be of such a character as to make it possible to identify the protected person exactly and to advise his next of kin quickly. The information in respect of each person shall include at least his surname, first names, place and date of birth, nationality last residence and distinguishing characteristics, the first name of the father and the maiden name of the mother, the date, place and nature of the action taken with regard to the individual, the address at which correspondence may be sent to him and the name and address of the person to be informed. Likewise, information regarding the state of health of internees who are seriously ill or seriously wounded shall be supplied regularly and if possible every week.
- Legal status
- Legally binding
- Body
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- Document type
- International treaty
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 1949
Paragraph
Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War 1949, para. undefined
- Paragraph text
- Art. 116. Every internee shall be allowed to receive visitors, especially near relatives, at regular intervals and as frequently as possible. As far as is possible, internees shall be permitted to visit their homes in urgent cases, particularly in cases of death or serious illness of relatives.
- Legal status
- Legally binding
- Body
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- Document type
- International treaty
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 1949
Paragraph
Refugee Children 1987, para. (h)
- Paragraph text
- Recommended that children who are accompanied by their parents should be treated as refugees if either of the parents is determined to be a refugee;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 1987
Paragraph
Conclusion On International Protection 1998, para. (k)
- Paragraph text
- Remains deeply concerned also about continuing violations of the rights of refugee children, including through abduction with a view to forcing participation in military activities, as well as through acts of violence, threats to their dignity, forced family separation, and sexual abuse and exploitation, and calls on States and relevant parties to take all necessary measures to end these violations, in compliance with principles and standards of refugee law, human rights law and humanitarian law;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 1998
Paragraph
General Conclusion On International Protection 2004, para. (m)
- Paragraph text
- Deplores the fact that refugees, returnees and other persons of concern to UNHCR, in particular women and children, continue to be subjected to murder, armed attack, sexual and gender-based violence, forced military recruitment, separation of families, violations of or threats to their personal security and other fundamental rights; condemns in particular the armed attacks which took place in Gatumba transit centre, Burundi, in August 2004, which led to the killing of a large number of Congolese refugees; and, in this context, emphasizes the importance of host States taking appropriate measures to protect refugee camps and settlements including whenever possible through ensuring, in consultation with UNHCR, their location at a reasonable distance from the border; and also emphasizes the importance of protecting refugees from other forms of threat and harassment from any groups or individuals;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2004
Paragraph
International Cooperation and Burden and Responsibility Sharing in Mass-Influx Situations 2004, para. (d)
- Paragraph text
- Emphasizes the importance of efforts to mainstream gender and age concerns into responses to every stage of a mass influx from programme development and implementation to monitoring and evaluation, so as to ensure that the particular protection needs of refugee women, refugee children and older refugees, including those with special protection concerns, are effectively addressed, inter alia, through registration in principle on an individual basis, full and equal participation in matters affecting them, protection from sexual and gender-based violence and military recruitment, and maintaining family unity wherever possible;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Older persons
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2004
Paragraph
Refugee Children and Adolescents 1997, para. (a) i
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and relevant parties to respect and observe rights and principles that are in accordance with international human rights and humanitarian law and that are of particular relevance to international refugee protection, especially to safeguarding child and adolescent refugees, including:] the principle of the best interests of the child and the role of the family as the fundamental group of society concerned with the protection and well-being of children and adolescents;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 1997
Paragraph
Conclusion on international cooperation from a protection and solutions perspective 2016, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Calls for States to consider creating, expanding or facilitating access to complementary and sustainable pathways to protection and solutions for refugees, in cooperation with relevant partners, including the private sector, where appropriate, including through humanitarian admission or transfer, family reunification, skilled migration, labour mobility schemes, scholarships, and education mobility schemes;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Family Reunification 1981, para. 1
- Paragraph text
- In application of the Principle of the unity of the family and for obvious humanitarian reasons, every effort should be made to ensure the reunification of separated refugee families.
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 1981
Paragraph
Refugee Children 1987, para. (r)
- Paragraph text
- Recommended regular and timely assessment and review of the needs of refugee children, either on an individual basis or through sample surveys, prepared in co-operation with the country of asylum, taking into account all relevant factors such as age, sex, personality, family, religion, social and cultural background and the situation of the local population, and benefiting from the active involvement of the refugee community itself;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 1987
Paragraph
Conclusion On International Protection 1998, para. (w)
- Paragraph text
- Exhorts States, in accordance with the relevant principles and standards, to implement measures to facilitate family reunification of refugees on their territory, especially through the consideration of all related requests in a positive and humanitarian spirit, and without undue delay;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 1998
Paragraph
Safety of UNHCR Staff and Other Humanitarian Personnel 1997, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- Commending the High Commissioner's staff for the courageous and dedicated manner in which they discharge their responsibilities in conflict areas and under hazardous conditions, and paying tribute to those staff members and their families who have suffered serious mental stress or physical injury, or whose lives have been endangered or lost in the course of their duties,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 1997
Paragraph
Protection of the Refugee's Family 1999, para. (b) iv
- Paragraph text
- [Underlines the need for the unity of the refugee's family to be protected, inter alia by:] the prioritization of family unity issues at an early stage in all refugee operations; and
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 1999
Paragraph
Elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child 2007, para. 14.7.c
- Paragraph text
- [The Commission [...] urges Governments [...] to:] [14.7. Armed conflict] (c) Take appropriate measures to ensure that the specific needs of girls are addressed in all aspects of preventing the recruitment of children in armed groups and armed forces, and to facilitate their release and reintegration and secure the effective access of girls to dedicated programmes and services that respond to their specific needs for protection and assistance, and develop strategies to prevent future stigmatization and discrimination in their community and family and, in this regard, elaborate and implement applicable operational policies and frameworks based on good practices and lessons learned;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- CSW Agreed Conclusions / Declaration
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2007
Paragraph
Refugee Children 1987, para. (d)
- Paragraph text
- Stressed that all action taken on behalf of refugee children must be guided by the principle of the best interests of the child as well as by the principle of family unity;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 1987
Paragraph
Protection from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation 2003, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing that sexual abuse and exploitation are a consequence of unequal power relationships; a dynamic that is often exacerbated during humanitarian crises characterized by widespread violence, mass displacement, and the breakdown in family structures, social and value systems; and noting with distress, the involvement of humanitarian workers, officials and other persons working closely with refugee populations;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2003
Paragraph
Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls 2013, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- The Commission urges States to strongly condemn violence against women and girls committed in armed conflict and post-conflict situations, and recognizes that sexual and gender-based violence affects victims and survivors, families, communities and societies, and calls for effective measures of accountability and redress as well as effective remedies.
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- CSW Agreed Conclusions / Declaration
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Civilian and Humanitarian Character of Asylum 2002, para. (c) vi
- Paragraph text
- [Recommends that action taken by States to ensure respect for the civilian and humanitarian character of asylum be guided, inter alia, by the following principles;] Where the granting of refugee status is based on group determination, civilian family members of combatants should be treated as refugees and should not be interned together with them;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2002
Paragraph
Implementing child rights in early childhood 2006, para. 36c
- Paragraph text
- Refugees (art. 22). Young children who are refugees are most likely to be disoriented, having lost much that is familiar in their everyday surroundings and relationships. They and their parents are entitled to equal access to health care, education and other services. Children who are unaccompanied or separated from their families are especially at risk. The Committee offers detailed guidance on the care and protection of these children in general comment No. 6 (2005) on the treatment of unaccompanied and separated children outside their country of origin;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2006
Paragraph
Integrating a gender perspective in the right to food 2016, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- Oxfam researchers found that adaptation projects aimed at women created under Burkina Faso's National Action Programme for Adaptation (NAPA) sought to diversity the ways that women can generate income to offset income lost by harvests damaged by climate change. In order to rectify these consequences, individuals and organizations need to be better educated on the different vulnerabilities that men and women face in disasters, and local women's organizations need to be consulted in order to understand region-specific contexts. Moreover, such attempts could have ancillary positive effects, as developing credit systems to aid families during times of famine, strengthening women's organizations that promote adaptation measures, and addressing larger issues could prevent gender inequality.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Food & Nutrition
- Gender
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- Returns following the cessation of conflict have been extensively documented, in particular in connection with the return of Roma from Western Europe to the Balkans. Where deportations take place without consent, minorities may face numerous obstacles to their basic human rights, including lack of access to personal documents and statelessness; problems repossessing their property or obtaining housing; difficulties accessing education, health, employment and social welfare; and separation from family members. In some cases, loss of temporary protection status in host countries and the forced repatriation to their countries of origin, coupled with the lack of adequate policies for the integration of returnees, have resulted in minority communities being forced into continuous migration.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph