The protection of foreign workers and volunteers in situations of internal conflict, with special reference to the taking of hostages

Abstract

One has only to glance at a newspaper to realize that much of today's world is in a state of upheaval and permanent crisis. Many countries are affected by internal conflicts of one sort or another, making the social stability usually enjoyed in North America and Western Europe a rare privilege. These internal conflicts constitute fertile breeding grounds for the most arbitrary violence against defenceless victims and for increasingly frequent violations of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual, whether a national of the country concerned or an alien.