Abstract:
People have always been attracted by the idea of living in well-developed cities that
provide better standard of living. Cities are often termed as ‗engines of prosperity‘ but they are
plagued by overcrowding, poor hygiene conditions, poverty, social exclusion, violence and crime
due to migration of people from rural to urban sites. There are various factors that have
contributed to violence i.e. political or economic instability, proliferation of small arms and the
presence of gangs or other organized groups. Violence has affected daily life of citizens by not
only causing harm to them but also instilling fear among them. The law within the state has
failed to curb the violence. We need to find that can international humanitarian law helps us to
curb violence? The question addressed herein is if, and to what extent, it is desirable to apply the
standards international humanitarian law and regional human rights systems to address urban
violence.
The focus of research will be urban violence in context of Latin America, Africa, Libya
and Pakistan. We will discuss in detail the inadequacy of domestic law and international
humanitarian law in situations of violence. Furthermore, the need for an adequate legal regime so
as to fill the legal void that is created at times when neither the domestic laws are capable to curb
a situation of violence nor international humanitarian laws are applicable due to lack of
definition shall also be discussed.
