An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 9 envision themselves in a military setting. The ICRC's study, The Roots of Restraint in War, provides an excellent analysis of how respect can be furthered amongst participants in a conflict. In the study, the researchers found that socialisation, the way in which rules and norms becomes socially accepted and then acted upon, is essential to the pro- motion of respect for IHL. The study showed that the ICRC's previous focus on the for- mal chain of command as a way of garnering respect for IHL is insufficient, particularly due to the increase of non-international armed conflicts and the number of decentralised armed groups involved. Instead, the researchers found that to ensure respect for IHL reaches all members of an armed group, and all kinds of armed groups, it is better to view armed groups on a spectrum and, depending on their position on the spectrum, use the ap- proach most suited to that particular context. Another finding highlighted that the majority of present and future fighters are young people, which brings its own challenges. How do you approach members of an informal armed group versus a formal armed group? How much of a role will digital media play? What is the best method of ensuring respect for IHL in young combatants? These are all questions that must be asked by those with the responsibility of ensuring and promot- ing respect for IHL and the Corn Adomnáin highlights to its participants the many challenges that face armed groups, state actors, NGOs and the ICRC, and national societies in this respect. One past competitor said of the competition: "(It) helped me understand the issues the Red Cross is facing every day. (It) made me understand the importance of humanitarian law and I will do everything I can to promote its principles in my future career." In Corn Adomnáin 2020, the Irish Red Cross hopes to build on the successes and experiences of past editions. To achieve as exciting a competition as possible, it is hoped that teams will come from all over the country, with a range of backgrounds and experiences. While the competition requires a certain level of legal knowl- edge, it is not necessary for participants to have studied IHL as the format allows for teams to prepare in advance with the as- sistance of reading materials and allows the use of the Geneva Conventions on the day. This will test the ability of the partici- pants in their application and sourcing of the correct law while under pressure – a crucial legal skill. This is something which 2019 winners, Gráinne Hussey and Aneta Szczurek from the Law Society, demonstrated, despite having one teammate less than other participants. The competition is a challenging and enjoyable way for stu- dents to hone and test their legal expertise, and from an Irish Red Cross perspective it is an important part of our responsibil- ity to promote and encourage respect for IHL. The impact of fulfilling this responsibility is reflected in an- other 2019 participant's feedback: "Remember the importance of this competition. Because of my attendance everyone in my firm are now aware of the humani- tarian law principles and we spent lots of time discussing the role-play scenarios afterwards." The Irish Red Cross is very much looking forward to see what will arise out of Corn Adomnáin 2020, and the collabora- tion with the Defence Forces is testament to the benefits of ensuring a warm relationship is maintained between the two organisations in our promotion of IHL. The ICRC study The Roots of Restraint in War can be downloaded for free on ICRC.org. For more informa- tion on the Corn Adomnáin or IHL activities please contact Maebh Butler at mbutler@redcross.ie. To find out more about how you can help the Irish Red Cross, visit www.redcross.ie.

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