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The Geneva Conventions During The Second World War

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The Geneva Conventions During The Second World War
According to the Australian War Memorial, “Over 30,000 Australian servicemen were taken prisoner in the Second World War and 39,000 gave their lives.” The treatment of POWs during the WW2 varied extremely depending on race, country they were prisoner to, morals and numerous other varying factors.

The Geneva Conventions were set in order to control and maintain the same level of treatment for all POWs, they were international agreements created in Geneva, Switzerland. The Conventions place restrictions on the cruelty of war and improve the conditions and provide protection for the people who aren’t actually part of the fighting such as nurses and civilians, and for people who are no longer able to fight (labeled hors de combat), inclusive …show more content…
The protocols were created in regards to
1. “Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts” – relating to international conflicts.
2. “Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts” – relating to non-international conflicts
3. “Adoption of an Additional Distinctive Emblem” – addition of a distinguishable emblem used universally as a symbol of aid for casualties.

The Japanese held Two thirds of Australians taken prisoner, and displayed complete disregard to the Geneva Conventions during the war. Japanese POW suffered greatly in the camps; their treatment was often barbaric and inhumane, there were no set standard procedures and the management and treatment of prisoners varied greatly from camp to camp.

During WW2 the Japanese were notorious for their aggressive approach on discipline and treatment of prisoners. Soldiers for the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) held an altered set of morals and behaved in a cruel manner. Tom Uren, a Japanese POW, in his book ‘Straight Left’, said “Japanese military discipline was sadistic, because they administered instant or Japanese punishment. This was carried out on their own troops, but when it was administered to prisoners it was particularly vicious and …show more content…
Within the IJA it was shameful to submit to the enemy and was considered ‘losing face’ and a discredit to not only themselves but their country too. They were trained to believe that ‘Seppuku’ or suicide by disembowelment was an honour, and this was a ritual carried out by all Japanese when they believed they had ‘lost face’ or were captured by the enemy. Because of this mindset the Japanese were baffled at the Australians and Western Allies surrendering, and saw them as worthless and a dishonor to their countries. In turn, the Japanese treated POWs with little to no
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