Abstract
To begin with, Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment is the document developed by the United Nations to define the meaning of torture and to guarantee that states and countries work cooperatively to reduce the incidence of torture within their borders. Apart from providing a well-grounded definition of torture, the convention is a reliable instrument of dealing with contemporary conflicts. Through the prism of contemporary conflict as the form of violence and physical assault used by military opponents to protect their interests, the Convention can effectively work as a set of guidelines used to reduce violence and torture.
Convention against Torture
To begin with, Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment is the document developed by the United Nations to define the meaning of torture and to guarantee that states and countries work cooperatively to reduce the incidence of torture within their borders. Apart from providing a well-grounded definition of torture, the convention is a reliable instrument of dealing with contemporary conflicts. Through the prism of contemporary conflict as the form of violence and physical assault used by military opponents to protect their interests, the Convention can effectively work as a set of guidelines used to reduce violence and torture.
To begin with, the Convention is the means of reducing violence during a conflict, due to the fact that it requires that “each State Party shall take effective legislative, administrative, judicial, and other measures to prevent acts of torture in any territory under its jurisdiction” (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 1984). Second, each State Party is required to spread adequate and comprehensible information about what torture is and how it can be prevented (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 1984). As a result, in the process of developing and implementing military strategies, states are more likely to take these criteria and elements into consideration, and not to turn the conflict into unreasonable violence of peace population. Finally, as more and more states openly disregard these rules and appear unable to deter and prevent torturing and violence in conflicts, the Convention makes it possible to impose sanctions and criminal responsibility on the states that intentionally or unintentionally violates the principles of the discussed Convention (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 1984). This is particularly relevant in case of the third world countries that are more likely to become the participants of a conflict; but in their desire to join international community, they will also strive to adhere to well-recognized principles of non-torturing. Unfortunately, not all states may be willing to participate in the convention, and many of them may appear deaf toward the UN and human rights organizations’ claims and requirements, but that the Convention is the critical element of contemporary conflict resolution and violence prevention is more than obvious.
References
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. (1984). Convention against torture and
other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The United Nations. Retrieved June 3, 2009 from http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/h_cat39.htm
