Children look out at the sunset over the Bamarne IDP camp in northern Iraq. DFID UK/Flickr. (CC BY-NC 2.0)
One of the principal determinants of how many people will perish as a result of an atrocity crime is the capacity of the targeted civilian population to flee from immediate harm. The more a targeted group is able to find refuge from violence, the lower the number of direct victims is likely to be. But, as the plight of Syrians and Iraqis trying to reach Europe demonstrates only too well, flight increases exposure to other sources of harm.
It can also sometimes place civilians at greater risk of atrocities, such as when IDP/refugee camps become targets for attack as they have been in South Sudan and elsewhere. As such, international efforts to implement the global commitment to the ‘responsibility to protect’ (R2P) must include the facilitation of safe flight from harm and the protection of populations once displaced. Safe passage and refugee protection are among the most significant and direct ways in which lives can be saved in the face of atrocity crimes.
