Golden Gate University School of Law GGU Law Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations Student Scholarship 5-2013 Protecting Women Under the International Humanitarian Law: A Study of the Social, Cultural, and Political Conditions in Iraq and Palestine That Have an Adverse Affect on Women Nour Mawloud Najeeb Fnish Golden Gate University School of Law Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/theses Part of the Human Rights Law Commons, International Law Commons, and the Law and Gender Commons Recommended Citation Fnish, Nour Mawloud Najeeb, "Protecting Women Under the International Humanitarian Law: A Study of the Social, Cultural, and Political Conditions in Iraq and Palestine That Have an Adverse Affect on Women" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. Paper 43. This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at GGU Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of GGU Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GOLDEN GATE UNIVERSITY PROTECTING WOMEN UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW A STUDY OF THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS IN IRAQ AND PALESTINE THAT HAVE AN ADVERSE AFFECT ON WOMEN A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED To THE COMMITTEE OF INTERNATIONAL LEGAL STUDIES IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE Of SCIENTIAE JURIDICAE DOCTOR (S.J.D.) BY NOUR MAWLOUD NAJEEB FNISH SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA May, 2013 DISSERTATION COMMITTEE Professor Dr. Christian N. Okeke Doctor in de Rechtsgeleerdheid (Amsterdam) Professor of International & Comparative Law; Director, L.L.M. and S.J.D. Programs; Director SompongSucharitkhulCenter for Advanced Inter’l Legal Studies, Golden Gate University School of Law Professor Dr. Sophie Clavier Associate Professor International Relations San Francisco State University Adjunct Professor, Golden Gate University School of Law Professor Dr. Zakia Afrin Adjunct Professor Golden Gate University School of Law ii TITLE PROTECTING WOMEN UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW A STUDY OF THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS IN IRAQ AND PALESTINE THAT HAVE AN ADVERSE AFFECT ON WOMEN iii DEDICATION I dedicate this work to my husband, Naim Jamjoum, who supported and encouraged me tremendously, during its preparation; to my family members, especially my mother, Yousra Alzaben, and my father, Mawloud Fnish; to my adorable children, Farah, Hamza and Hashem; and to everyone who assisted me during countless hours of research, contemplation, writing and re-writing. I accept responsibility for any deficiencies one may find herein. iv EPIGRAPH SAFEGUARDING THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS IS THE MOST NOBLE AND BEAUTIFUL END OF A HUMAN BEING. --KAHLIL GIBRAN, THE VOICE OF THE POET v TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .......................................................................... 1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 3 CHAPTER I - INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW AS A MEANS OF PROTECTING WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN TIMES OF WAR .......................................................................... 1 I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 II..DEFINING INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW ............................................................. 3 III. ORIGINS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW ......................................................... 4 A. Pre-Modern Origins of International Humanitarian Law .................................... 5 1. The Law of Hammurabi (c. 1750 BCE) .............................................................. 5 2. Laws of Manu or 'Manava Dharma Shastra': Ancient Hindu Code of Conduct for Domestic, Social, and Religious Life (c. 500 BCE) ............................................ 8 3. The Christian Declaration (c. 50 A.D.) i.e., The Golden Rule ......................... 10 4. Early Islamic Humanitarian Law ...................................................................... 12 5. The Magna Carta (c. 1215 AD) ......................................................................... 14 6. Hugo Grotius and the War Convention .......................................................... 16 B. Modern Bases of International Humanitarian Law ........................................... 21 1. The Hague Conventions, 1899 and 1907 ........................................................ 21 2. The Geneva Conventions of 1929 and 1949 ................................................... 23 a. First Additional Protocol: ............................................................................ 26 b. Second Additional Protocol: ....................................................................... 26 3. Fundamental Objectives of International Humanitarian Law ...................... 26 4. Respecting the Red Cross and Red Crescent Signs and Materials Carried by Staff and Workers................................................................................................. 32 a. First Geneva Convention Provisions ............................................................ 32 b. Fourth Convention Provisions ..................................................................... 33 5. International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law............................... 34 IV. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER II - PROTECTION FOR CIVILIAN WOMEN UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW ....... 37 I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 37 II. GENERAL PROTECTION FOR CIVILIAN WOMEN ............................................................... 38 A. General Protection for Civilian Women; Fourth Geneva Convention, 1949 ..... 38 1. Case Examples: Maltreatment of Iraqi and Palestinian Female Prisoners .... 43 B. General Protection for Civilian Women; the First Additional Protocol ............. 49 C. Principles of Protection for Civilians, Under the Four Geneva Conventions, the Additional Protocols, and the UN Charter .............................................................. 54 1. First Principle: No Discrimination against Women ......................................... 55 vi 2. Second Principle: Treat Civilians Humanely .................................................... 55 3. Third Principle: Protecting Women (and all Civilians) from Atrocities .......... 63 D. The UN and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) ...................... 67 E. Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), 1979 71 F. 1995 Peking Declaration: Women’s Special Protocol ......................................... 77 G. Applicability of International and Human Rights Law to Palestine ................... 80 III. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................... 88 CHAPTER III - PROTECTION FOR WOMEN AS PRISONERS OF WAR AND DURING GENERAL MILITARY OPERATIONS ............................................................................. 89 I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 89 II. PROTECTION OF WOMEN DURING VARIOUS TYPES OF CONFLICT ........................................ 91 A. Women Participation in Military Conflict ........................................................... 91 I. International Military Conflict .......................................................................... 91 2. Internal Conflicts .............................................................................................. 93 3. Non-International Military Conflicts .............................................................. 94 4. Women Participating in Suicide Missions ....................................................... 97 a. Palestinian Thought Regarding Women Suicide Bombers ........................ 99 b. Shari’ah Thought Regarding Women Suicide Bombers ............................ 100 5. Forbidden Weaponry and Fighting Methods ............................................... 102 6. Gender Considerations in Humane Treatment ............................................. 103 B. Special Protection for Women During Military Operations ............................. 104 C. Treatment of Detained and Jailed Women ....................................................... 115 III. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 132 CHAPTER IV - OTHER PROTECTIONS FOR WOMEN VIS-A-VIS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT 134 I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 134 II. PROTECTING WOMEN FROM CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ..................................................... 136 III. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 145 CHAPTER V - OTHER PROTECTIONS FOR WOMEN: SPECIAL AID AND ASSISTANCE RIGHTS ................................................................................................................... 147 I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 147 A. Negative Provisions .......................................................................................... 148 B. Positive Provisions ............................................................................................