Today marks the International day of the Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.The United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by the General Assembly on December 9th 1948 one day before the adoption of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide defined the responsibility of states to prevent and punish the crime of genocide, which weighed heavily on the world's conscience in the aftermath of the Second World War, which claimed the lives of some 70 million people.
The purpose of adopting these documents at the global level was to ensure that following the horrors of the Holocaust, the convention outlined the international community’s commitment to say ‘never again’. Both documents raised hopes for a better post-war order, but in 2024 we find that unfortunately they have not been sufficiently realised for all people, as many armed conflicts continue to take place around the world, with civilians, especially the most vulnerable such as children, women, the elderly and persons with disabilities, suffering the most.
The slogan Never Again symbolised the determination of anti-fascists and the labour movement that after the Holocaust, genocide must never happen again - that no one should be annihilated because of an accident of birth and who they are.
“For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.”
Elie went on to write a number of books about his own personal story and that of the Holocaust (also known as 'the Shoah’ in Hebrew) in general, and his works — along with the likes of Primo Levi (author of If This Is A Man) and Anne Frank, whose diary is famous across the world — are some of the most defining stories of that era. They are books I would implore everyone to read, especially as a 2021 study found that over half of Britons did not know that six million Jewish people were murdered during the Holocaust, and less than a quarter thought that two million or fewer were killed.
And though it is easy to leave history in the past, events like The Holocaust must be remembered out of respect for those who lost their lives, for those who overcame the most severe form of persecution and went on to become productive members of the communities in which they settled and for those who are yet to even step foot on this planet. We must, as Elie Wiesel says, “bear witness” to these events, and pass their stories and their lessons onto the next generation, so that we can avoid such horrors happening again.
The Genocide Convention (article 2) defines genocide as "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group … ", including: Killing members of the group; Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
The Convention confirms that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or war, is a crime under international law which parties to the Convention undertake “to prevent and to punish” (article 1). The primary responsibility to prevent and stop genocide lies with the State.
The principles of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide are inextricably linked to the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) against genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. In 2005, states undertook to take appropriate measures to protect populations within their territory from processes that may, in certain circumstances, lead to mass atrocities.
The word “genocide” did not exist prior to World War II. It is a specific term coined in 1942 by Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin (1900–1959) and first used in print in his 1944 book, Axis Rule in Occupied Europe. After the Holocaust, the word “genocide” was established as a legal term for a specifically defined international crime. to commit. After the Holocaust, this convention represented an international commitment to prevent the killing of innocent individuals because of their group identity.
The International day of the Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime was declared in 2015 by the UN on the initiative of Armenia.
The primary goal of the day is the fight against genocide, reminding people about the irreversible loss of the humanity caused by genocide. Commemoration of the memory of genocide victims is an important step for preserving historical memory which is one of the means to ensure the genocide prevention. However, Genocides continued throughout the twentieth century in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur. The international community failed to prevent these crimes.
Today is also the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention which was the first international human rights treaty that not only provided the definition of genocide but also raised issues of elimination of impunity and justice towards the victims. The Convention was ratified by 153 UN member states.
On this day, we remember the victims of Genocide and encourage people around the world to learn from the past, and take action to prevent future atrocities. Genocide is not over. The crime that took place in the Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur continues as you read this today. Today, other groups of people continue to live in a constant state of fear from genocidal violence, this is happening to Tutsi people from North and South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rohingya people in Myanmar, and the people of Palestine, along with several other countries.
On 5th December, 2024 the world’s largest human rights organization, Amnesty International, added its voice to states, UN experts, and thousands of legal scholars and historians who have reached the same conclusion. Amnesty found that, based on policies, actions, and omissions since 7 October, 2023, Israel is committing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in besieged and occupied Gaza. It called on states to impose targeted and lawful sanctions on apartheid Israel
Let's not forget on this day that it's been over a year since the far-right Israeli government began its current ongoing genocide against Palestinian people, displacing and killing thousands of Palestinians.
Widespread abuse is currently being carried out by Israeli army of genocide against civilians in northern Gaza after forcing them out of shelters. Yet the world watches in silence.
The ongoing suffering in Gaza reminds us that states must fulfil their duty to protect civilians, ensure accountability, and prevent atrocity crimes including genocide. Today, on the International Day of Genocide Prevention we must stand united in our commitment to protect human dignity and prevent atrocities around the world.
Genocide doesn’t start overnight,it begins with hate, dehumanization, and silence.Genocide can be prevented. Every single person has both the opportunity and the responsibility to treat others with respect and dignity. Each person is a factor in deciding what kind of world we all live in and everyone can choose what kind of impact to make.
Never has so little been requested of all those who see/know to act against genocide. Never has so small a 'peaceful' gesture offered such potentially large impacts.Together, we can break the cycle.
Every day of Israel's genocide is a new rubicon crossed. A new level of horror adding to a world-shifting trauma that will pass from generation to generation. The Palestinian people cannot be obliterated but our collective humanity can be and is being erased. No human deserves death in the name of politics or power. Peace not war is the only solution for humanity.
In short, International Day of Genocide Prevention 2024 is arriving just as Israel are literally being judged on the world stage for an ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is all the more critical for us to speak out and name a genocide that is literally unfolding before us in real time. No matter how uncomfortable or painful the prospect.
On International Day of Genocide Prevention we must remember all those who lost their innocent and precious lives in the past. Remember, it didn’t start with gas chambers. It started with politicians dividing the people with ‘us vs. them.’ It started with intolerance and hate speech, and when people stopped caring, became desensitized, and turned a blind eye.
“Never Again” was always meant to mean never again for all regardless of skin colour, religion or ethnicity.We are all human. We all bleed the same colour, red. When we say 'Never Again', we have to mean it.
“Never again” means we must never see the slaughter that we saw during the Holocaust again. And it doesn’t matter who these crimes are being committed against, just as it doesn’t matter who the perpetrators of the crimes are.
The utter mayhem and cruelty unleashed by the Netanyahu regime in Gaza forces us to ask the question, "What is the value of a human life?" At what point does humanity end and barbarism begin?
This International Day of Genocide Prevention let us find the courage to speak the words that must be spoken.No more genocide. Take action now! Together, let’s end this! https://loom.ly/XQFQLgk
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