Today, Monday, December 5th 2022, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced the results of the essay competition in International Humanitarian Law (IHL) for Jordanian universities’ students on the subject of “Missing Persons”.
Earlier in June, the ICRC announced the first essay competition on the subject of missing persons under IHL, at the aim of engaging law students in relevant discussions of IHL and providing an academic platform for legal debates.
The first edition of the IHL competition comes to encourage law students in Jordanian universities to study and research international humanitarian law, in addition to raising awareness about the issue of missing persons as a result of armed conflict.
On the details of the announcement, Yara Al-Abadi from the Applied Science Private University, won first place for her essay titled “Missing Persons Under the Umbrella of International Humanitarian Law,” while Bushra Al-Kayed from the University of Jordan won second place for her essay “Missing Persons, their Condition, and Protection under International Humanitarian Law.” The third place was earned by Amal Al-Mousa from Al-Balqa Applied University for her essay “Legal Aspects Related to Missing Persons under the Provisions of IHL”.
In the category of postgraduate students, the student Juman Al-Khatib, from the Applied Science Private University, won first place for her essay “Missing Persons”.
In her speech, Sarah Avrillaud, ICRC’s Head of Delegation in Jordan, said: “Since its creation in 1863, the ICRC played a key role in the adoption of the first convention regulating the conduct of warfare. The ICRC was then given the responsibility by the International Community to be the promoter and guardian of International Humanitarian Law.”
She added that “in Jordan, the ICRC supports the IHL teaching in Jordanian universities through building the capacities of IHL lecturers at universities by sending some professors to regional IHL courses and distributing IHL resources in the Arabic language to encourage students and professors to conduct research on IHL related issues.”
It is worth mentioning that the ICRC works to ensure that all measurements are taken to prevent people from becoming missing during armed conflict. The ICRC also strives to clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing people in addition to providing support in the field of forensics. Through its accompaniment program, the ICRC also works to provide a comprehensive response to the different needs of families of missing persons, combining its expertise in forensic science, mental health, psychosocial support, economic security and legal knowledge.
