“There is a growing awareness of the sublime dignity
of human persons, who stand above all
things and whose rights and duties are universal and
inviolable. They ought, therefore, to have
ready access to all that is necessary for living a
genuinely human life…”
— Gaudium et Spes, #26
GENOCIDE
Lift the confusion from my eyes, Lord of sight and insight,
And enable me to see clearly how you are suffering,
And how your grace is working in the world.
The dignity of your people is trampled in Darfur;
Their suffering is terrible to gaze upon.
But your servants keep watch and call out for justice.
Help me recognize what is happening in our global community
And help me begin to see the part I can play in solidarity.
I am here, Lord, give me vision, give me hope.
Amen.
Genocide: An attempt to eliminate, in whole or in
large part, a particular group of people (such as
national, ethnic, racial, religious, social, or political
groups).
Mass Murder: The intentional killing of a large number
of people who are either unwilling or unable to defend
themselves.
Ethnic Cleansing: The attempt to remove a particular
group of people from a particular geographic area
through the use of terror.
Democide: the murder of any person or people by
a government, including genocide, and mass murder.

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“More than 50 million people were
systematically murdered in the past 100
years- the century of mass murder.”
“In sheer numbers, these and other
killings make the 20th century the
bloodiest period in human history.”
National Geo. 2006
Where does the Word
Genocide Come From?
Geno- cide
Geno- from the
Greek word Genos,
which means birth,
race of a similar
kind, tribe, family
Cide- From the
Latin word Cida,
which means to
kill.
Genocide in History

There are many cases of Genocide which have
existed throughout our history dating back to biblical
times.
Genocides From 1500-1950

The Congo 1820-1920
Ottoman Empire
(1932–1933) Holodomor
World War II

Mao Zedong


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WORLD WAR II 1939-1945
Over 11 million People were killed.
During the Holocaust the Nazis’ killed
6million Jews, 3 million POW’s, 2 million
Poles and 400,000 other “undesirables”(slaves,
homosexuals and communists)
The holocaust was most predominant from
previous genocides because of the cruelty,
scale and efficiency of the mass murders.
People were killed by: open-air shootings, by
killing squads, extermination camps (gas
chambers, mass shootings)

Genocides from 1951-Present



Cambodia (1975–1979)
Rwanda 1994
Modern Day Sudan
Cambodia 1975-1979
The Khmer Rouge killed 1.7 million



The communist party Khmer Rouge ruled
Cambodia from 1975-1979. They were
responsible for forced labour, starvation, and
execution.
This was one of the most lethal regimes of
the 20th century.
This communist party killed “suspect ethnic
groups”- Chinese, Vietnamese,Buddhist
monks, and refugees.
RWANDA 1994
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

The Rwandan Genocide was the slaughter of an estimated
800,000 to 1,000,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, mostly
carried out by two extremist Hutu militia groups (Interahamwe
and Impuzamugambi) during a period of 100 days from April
6th through mid-July 1994.
The Western and First World Countries did nothing to help this
situation.
Prior to the attacks the UN did not respond to reports of the
Hutu plans.
This Genocide was ended when the Tutsi rebel movement
(Rwandese Political Front) lead by Paul Kagame seized power of
the Hutu Government.
Rwanda 1994

“Hutu Mobs armed with machetes and other weapons
killed roughly 8,000 Tutsis a day during a three-month
campaign of terror. Powerful nations stood by as the
slaughter surged on despite pleas from Rwandan and UN
observers”
National Geographic 2006.
Sudan Civil War 1983

Sudan signed a peace agreement in 2002where they were accused of genocide.
Since the civil war began in 1983:
2,000,000 people have been killed
 4, 000, 000 people have been displaced.
Mukesh Kapila ( UN coordinator) has stated that

"This
is more than just a conflict. It is an organised attempt [by Khartoum] to do
away with a group of people. The only difference between Rwanda [in
1994] and Darfur now is the numbers of dead, murdered, tortured and
raped involved“.
Sudan Cont…
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In 2004, it became widely known that a
nomadic group Janjaweed was trying to get
rid of 80 black African groups in the Darfur
region.
This was is very similar to Rwanda. However
professional/intellectuals are not being
attacked- it is a fight between the nomads
and farmers for land.
There is risk of famine and a threat to
international security.
“Genocide is a process that develops in eight stages that
are predictable but not inexorable. At each stage, preventive
measures can stop it. The later stages must be preceded by
the earlier stages, though earlier stages continue to operate
throughout the process”.
The eight stages of genocide are:
Classification
Organization
Extermination
Symbolization
Polarization
Denial
Dehumanization
Preparation
1. CLASSIFICATION:

All cultures have categories to distinguish people into
"us and them" by ethnicity, race, religion, or
nationality: German and Jew, Hutu and Tutsi. Bipolar
societies that lack mixed categories, such as Rwanda
and Burundi, are the most likely to have genocide.
2. SYMBOLIZATION

We give names or other symbols to the
classifications. We name people "Jews" or "Gypsies",
or distinguish them by colors or dress; and apply
them to members of groups. Classification and
symbolization are universally human and do not
necessarily result in genocide unless they lead to the
next stage, dehumanization. When combined with
hatred, symbols may be forced upon unwilling
members of pariah groups: the yellow star for Jews
under Nazi rule, the blue scarf for people from the
Eastern Zone in Khmer Rouge Cambodia.
3. DEHUMANIZATION:

One group denies the humanity of the other group.
Members of it are equated with animals, vermin,
insects or diseases. Dehumanization overcomes the
normal human revulsion against murder.
4. ORGANIZATION:

Genocide is always organized, usually by the state,
though sometimes informally (Hindu mobs led by
local RSS militants) or by terrorist groups. Special
army units or militias are often trained and armed.
Plans are made for genocidal killings.
5. POLARIZATION:

Extremists drive the groups apart. Hate groups
broadcast polarizing propaganda. Laws may forbid
intermarriage or social interaction. Extremist terrorism
targets moderates, intimidating and silencing the
center.
6. PREPARATION:

Victims are identified and separated out because of
their ethnic or religious identity. Death lists are drawn
up. Members of victim groups are forced to wear
identifying symbols. They are often segregated into
ghettoes, forced into concentration camps, or
confined to a famine-struck region and starved.
7. EXTERMINATION:

Extermination begins, and quickly becomes the mass
killing legally called "genocide." It is "extermination"
to the killers because they do not believe their victims
to be fully human. When it is sponsored by the state,
the armed forces often work with militias to do the
killing. Sometimes the genocide results in revenge
killings by groups against each other, creating the
downward whirlpool-like cycle of genocide.
8. DENIAL:

It is among the surest indicators of further genocidal
massacres. The perpetrators of genocide dig up the
mass graves, burn the bodies, try to cover up the
evidence and intimidate the witnesses. They deny
that they committed any crimes, and often blame
what happened on the victims. They block
investigations of the crimes, and continue to govern
until driven from power by force, when they flee into
exile. There they remain with impunity, like Pol Pot.