It’s no easy thing, to recognise the humanity in your enemy. We can only imagine that Australian diggers from the battlefields of World War II to modern conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have felt this challenge.

Destruction in the ancient city of Aleppo ... egregious breaches of the the the Geneva Conventions persist in countries such as Syria, Yemen and South Sudan, but Monday marks 70 years of the rules of war saving lives. Credit:ICRC

But recognising our common humanity is what the Geneva Conventions ask of us – and this year they turn 70. This isn’t so much about anniversaries. It’s about 70 years of protecting people.

The Geneva Conventions are the bedrock of international humanitarian law – or the law of war. Protecting civilians and combatants alike, they were born from the horrors of WWII.

Among the few international treaties to be universally ratified, these are the laws that place limits on conflict. They protect people who are in the fight – limiting the use of weapons that cause

superfluous harm and prohibiting torture.