Limiting the Potential for Bystander Apathy: On the Introduction of a Duty to Rescue in International Law
[2010] COLR 126
This article examines the concept of Good Samaritanism in national law, and contrasts this with the recent attempts of the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and Yugoslavia to introduce the duty via international criminal law. The author assesses such developments, in light of the psychological factors underlying the practice of bystander apathy during periods of mass human rights violations, and consequently argues for the introduction of a general duty to rescue in international law, separate and apart from the international criminal justice system.
By DONNA LYONS
LIMITING THE POTENTIAL FOR BYSTANDER APATHY: ON THE INTRODUCTION OF A DUTY TO RESCUE IN INTERNATIONAL LAW (PDF)