The ratification of the United Nations Convention on Genocide was not the end of genocide. This crime continues until this very day, to this very minute, and many who perpetuate it evade punishment.
Genocide is not a spontaneous act. It occurs in stages. Genocide Watch President Gregory Stanton has identified 8 stages of genocide. Record these stages in your notes.
The genocide in Sudan on the African continent is one current example. Sponsored by its own government and centered in the Darfur region, this genocide is an on-going tragedy. Sudanese Janjaweed militias are taking the lives of victims within their own country based on tribe and skin color. They have crossed borders into Chad and the Central African Republic to further their criminal acts. For the most part, the African and international communities stand by while beatings, rapes, and murders continue unchecked.
Read these three articles as a class or a group before you read the WebQuest task.
Is Iraq Headed for Genocide?
This article was posted in Time magazine online on November 29, 2006. It calls into question differing interpretations of the United Nations Convention on Genocide.
Genocide, hatred take root in silence
Dr. Esther Denaro Maltese wrote this article that appeared in the online Democrate & Chronicle in December 2006. She notes, “One person’s courage to speak out can change history. Just imagine what we as a global community can accomplish. May this become our 21st-century legacy.”
‘Never Again’ – again
This article appeared in USA Today in March 2005. The authors of this article, Don Cheadles and John Prendergast, write: “Our leaders will act if there is a domestic political cost for doing nothing. Writing letters can stop the killing.”