Civilian

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For other uses, see Civilian (disambiguation).

In times of armed conflict a civilian is any person who is not a combatant. The term is used officially to describe those who do not belong to the military. It is often used as a slang term to identify people who are not members of a particular profession or occupation, especially by Law Enforcement agencies, that use rank structures similar to those of Military organizations; however law enforcement is normally officially considered civilian.

Article 50 in Chapter II: "Civilians and Civilian Population" of Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions defines that a civilian is not a combatant. Article 51 describes the protection that must be given to civilians and civilian populations. Chapter III of Protocol I regulates the targeting of civilian objects. Article 8(2)(b)(i) Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court also prohibits attack directed against civilians. Not all states have ratified Protocol I or the Rome Statute, but it is an accepted principle of international humanitarian law that the direct targeting of civilians is a breach of the customary laws of war and is binding on all belligerents.

The term is used in this context by models and in the performing arts, recently becoming more widely used as a result of the New York Theater Company production, "The Civilians".^{[citation needed]}