Human rights and humanitarian law : a dichotomy transcended?

Abstract

"The convergence of human rights law and humanitarian law can be described as two poor crutches on which disarmed victims can lean simultaneously". The relationship between Human Rights Law (HRL) and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) has evolved from a state of distinct autonomy to a position of close proximity, which position has a direct impact on the normative content and the conceptual perceptions of both legal spheres. both legal spheres. The motivating force behind this shift has been an amalgam of pragmatic and directional factors. The former factor refers to the unfortunate continuity of the destructive pattern of armed conflicts, combined with the accelerated pace of inflicting suffering on individuals. The directional factor that has facilitated the merging of IHL and HRL refers to the shared objective of ensuring the "protection of the individual and the respect for human dignity", which has also been labelled as "the principle of humanity".