The National Archives of Australia has joined with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to host a photographic exhibition Humanity in the Midst of Conflict in Canberra.

The 24 photographs were taken by professional photographers as well as Red Cross staff in different areas of armed conflict. They portray moving episodes in a range of countries between 1971 and 2006.

Images include a mother in Yemen receiving a Red Cross message from her son in Guantanamo Bay, war-wounded patients in Pakistan, a reunited Timor-Leste family, people looking for missing family members in Guatemala and a child sitting in the rubble of a bomb blast in Azerbaijan.

‘These photos highlight the humanitarian consequences of armed conflict,’ said Pauline Wall from the International Committee of Red Cross. ‘They also remind us that, even in war, there are limits.’

Since the first Geneva Convention was signed in 1864 to protect wounded soldiers on the battlefield, international humanitarian law (IHL) has constantly expanded. Today there are four Geneva Conventions which have extended protection to others including civilians and prisoners of war. Every country in the world has now ratified the Conventions. This means all parties to an armed conflict are now bound by international humanitarian law.

This year is the 30 th anniversary of the 1977 Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions which, among other things, set out essential rules on the conduct of hostilities and further strengthened protection for civilians. But, far too often, those who carry arms do not respect international humanitarian law.

‘This exhibition, featuring photographs from many different areas of the world, brings home the cruel reality of the impact that war continues to have on civilians,’ said Ms Wall. ‘Increasingly they are targets, facing violence, separation from family members, the loss of their home, displacement and lack of access to food, water and medical facilities.’

Humanity in the Midst of Conflict opens on 1 June at the National Archives of Australia, Canberra. Admission is free.