Collateral Damage

In wars, it’s usually ordinary people who suffer the most, even though there are rules meant to protect them.

If the whole history of Earth was just one day, humans would have been around for only one second. And even in that tiny time, we’ve spent very little of it being kind to each other. Long ago, armies didn’t care about innocent people. For example, when the Siege of Carthage happened, huge numbers of people were killed, and many others were sold as slaves. Women, children, and workers were not protected.

Even during World War II, civilians were attacked. Cities like London were bombed again and again. The atomic bombs dropped on Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed many ordinary people.

After World War II, countries decided this had to stop. They created rules called the Geneva Conventions to protect prisoners of war and civilians. Later, more rules were added to protect people living in war zones.

But today, these rules are often ignored. In the war in Ukraine, homes are attacked, and many children have been taken away. In Gaza, most people have lost their homes even though they are not fighters. In places like Iran and Israel, attacks have hurt civilians too. In nearby regions like Afghanistan, even hospitals have been hit.

This shows that in many wars today, innocent people are still not safe.

If a bigger war ever happens, it’s unlikely that civilians will be protected. Many countries helped create these rules, but now they don’t always follow them.

That’s why countries around the world—like India, China, Japan, and others—should speak up and remind everyone: war should not harm innocent people. Not anymore.

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