Genocide; What it is?
Genocide is the deliberate and organized killing of a group/and or groups of people, with the intention of destroying their identity as an ethnic, cultural, or religious group. The word genocide was first used by a Polish legal export, Raphael Lemkin. He saw the need for a new word to describe the deliberate act of picking on a particular group with the intention of trying to destroy them. He wanted a word in which different actions are planned and organized with the intention of destroying the identity of a larger group. The word genocide comes from the ancient Greek word Genos (which means race, tribe) and Cide (killing). When we think of genocide, we often think of either the Holocaust, for it was the catalyst that served as the birth to Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide (1948) and the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965). However, the sad reality is that genocide still continues to occur today.
Regardless of the convention that sits well in writing, the international community has failed to uphold the protections of these covenants, and has failed to punish the perpetrators of this horrendous crime. Regardless of Article 1 of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, declaring the Crime of Genocide whether committed in times of peace or war to be a crime of international law, often times this laws are not enforced, and the perpetrators walk away free.
Genocide is more than only killing people; it also involves forcibly removing children from their families, and placing them in separate homes in order for them to forget their cultural identity. It includes destroying racial, national, ethnic, religious groups with the intent to prevent the preservation and development of these identity markers. Genocide is also not a random occurrence, but involves a lot of planning; often years and years of it. It is also carried out by, or with complete permission from governments, especially when powerful, ruthless leaders campaign on a platform of ethnic cleansing and racial purity.
Genocide is a modern day crime. The Holocaust was not the first instance of genocide, and sadly, was not the last. Genocide continues to occur in a world where we are supposedly ‘protected’ by conventions, laws and given rights. What does genocide mean to you? When you think of genocide, do you think of mass graves, or do you think of the murder of culture and identity? Or do you think of both? What does genocide mean to you?
– Vaanmathy
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