7 The Distinctive Emblems

Subject(s):

Armed conflict — Conduct of hostilities

This chapter explains the distinctive medals worn by wounded soldiers on the battlefield that signify the presence of doctors and nurses near the soldiers. It highlights the importance of the emblem’s uniformity and universality. However, emblems in armed conflict could be marred by political disputes and cultural relativism. Thus, the international humanitarian law (IHL) primarily recognises the red cross, the rest crescent, the red crystal, and the red sun and lion due to their respective significance and function according to the Statutes of the Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. The chapter also covers the rules on emblems within the IHL, the Geneva Conventions, and the 1977 Additional Protocols.