UK and US Governments failing to recognise deliberate starvation of civilians as a weapon of war

UK and US Governments failing to recognise deliberate starvation of civilians as a weapon of war

new Guidance has been released by international human rights law firm and foundation, Global Rights Compliance, to stimulate and accelerate governments, including the UK and the US, in formally recognising the deliberate use of starvation of civilians as a weapon of war, or risk the lives of several more millions in the world’s most deprived, dangerous and forgotten countries.

In December 2019, 123 countries party to the International Criminal Court unanimously approved the historic Rome Statute ‘Starvation’ Amendment, which, for the first time, enabled the international investigation and prosecution of the war crime of starvation in domestic armed conflicts. Despite unanimous approval for the Amendment, ratification by governments around the world has been slow. Exactly three years on from the Amendment, 11 countries have now ratified or accepted the Amendment, including the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Switzerland,[1] yet more ratifications are needed. Switzerland led the Amendment campaign and continues to champion its ratification.

The latest international call to recognise and condemn deliberate starvation crimes came last week in Germany, where the starvation of millions of Ukrainians under Joseph Stalin, the Holodomor, was formally judged to be a “genocide” in an effort to serve as a warning to Russia, as global fear spreads that starvation is being used and will continue to be used as a weapon of warfare against Ukrainian people in the coming weeks and months. Germany is the next country expected to ratify the Starvation Amendment, with the ratification process underway.

Conflict is the biggest driver of hunger, with 60 percent of the world’s hungry living in areas afflicted by war and violence[2], but starvation is often mistaken to be an inevitable collateral consequence of war. Recent years have seen an alarming rise in the evidence of man-made starvation deliberately used as a weapon of war against civilians in Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Ukraine.

Global Rights Compliance worked closely with the Swiss government to secure the historic Rome Statute Starvation Amendment in December 2019. While the Starvation Amendment was a crucial step forward in helping millions suffering from man-made starvation and holding perpetrators of war crimes to account, parties to the International Criminal Court must also ratify the Amendment for it to have legal effect and enter into force.

The new Guidance released by Global Rights Compliance, supported by the Netherlands, will assist and empower advocacy groups and civil society organisations [CSOs], who play a key role in the global fight to eradicate hunger, to place pressure on governments and decision makers to ratify the Amendment. The Guidance includes, among other elements, advice for CSOs and others to engage with government decision makers. It also includes a Ratification Guidebook, supported by Switzerland – which is a key, standalone resource more effectively about the Starvation Amendment and how best to achieve its ratification and implementation, as well as model letters to accelerate government action.

Widespread ratification of the Amendment is needed to promote the prohibition on starvation as a weapon of war at a domestic level, strengthen the deterrent nature of international criminal law, send a strong message that justice will be pursued for perpetrators of starvation-related crimes and ultimately protect the most vulnerable caught up in the horrors of war. Widespread ratification will also protect humanitarian workers who are often subject to obstruction, intimidation, harassment, and even targeted attacks as warring parties seek to restrict civilians’ access to food, water and other basic humanitarian aid.

Catriona Murdoch, Partner and Head of Starvation Portfolio at Global Rights Compliance, who has led previous investigations and legal submissions in relation to Yemen, Syria and Tigray in Ethiopia, commented:

“Parties to the International Criminal Court have an opportunity to act and call out the suffering of innocent victims of deliberate state-led conflict-induced hunger. There is no room for excuses and State Parties must do their duty and hold perpetrators to account for the use of starvation in war, so they cannot continue to act with impunity. Through our investigations, we are seeing this crime being waged in current and recent conflicts, we must condemn deliberate starvation and equip those with an investigative or prosecutorial mandate to act.

“Pressure is needed to catalyse governments to take a stand against the barbaric and tragic crime of intentional starvation. The launch of our new Starvation Guidance is a springboard to accelerate ratification of the Starvation Amendment. It should not be acceptable for starvation to be viewed as an inevitable consequence of war.”

The Guidance publication follows the recent first of its kind report published by Global Rights Compliance in November 2022 on state-led deliberate starvation in South-Sudan. The investigation revealed that starvation is being used as a ‘method of warfare’ in South Sudan and was the first to call on the international community to intervene by demanding that starvation crimes in South Sudan are recognised as violating international law, and that perpetrators of war crimes are brought to justice.

Rugged Hank

Education Technology Day must be extended to prisons

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Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

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