eight stages of genocide
1. CLASSIFICATION: All cultures distinguish people into groups whether it’s by ethnicity, race, religion, or nationality; such as German and Jew. Communities that are in need of mixed categories are the ones that usually develop genocide. A way to fight this classifying is to establish institutions that promote tolerance, understanding, and broad-mindedness. Most importantly, common ground is crucial to preventing genocide from occurring.
2. SYMBOLIZATION: Sometimes, names or symbols are given to certain groups of people. For example, “Jews”; or they distinguish the groups by race, how they dress and give the symbols or names based on that. To counter-act symbolization, hate symbols and hate speeches can be illegal. Symbolization and classification are things that everyone does, sometimes unintentionally. They are harmless unless they go to the next stage, DEHUMINIZATION.
3. DEHUMANIZATION: Dehumanization is when one group of people (the oppressors) deprives people of human qualities or attributes. At this stage, writing or information that contradicts the government can be used to abuse the victim group. In Darfur, the government and several groups of rebels have deprived the “Zurga” of being out in public, freedom of speech, and even living in their own homes.
4. ORGANIZATION: Special army units or militias are often trained and armed. Plans are made for genocidal killings. In the Darfur genocide, the militant group is the Janjaweed. The Janjaweed are a group of people who were hired by the Sudanese government to exterminate the people of Darfur. Most of the Janjaweed were not trained, but they are organized and supported by the government. They were just given guns and ammo. Typically, the Janjaweed enters into a village, and destroys homes and abduct families. To combat this stage, membership in these militias or armies should be outlawed. Their leaders should be denied visas for foreign travel, and the U.N should send arms to protect Darfur’s people, create commissions, and investigate violations.
5. POLARIZATION: Polarization is stage five. In this stage laws are generally created for the inferior group to abide by. Intermarriage or social interaction with each other is often prohibited.
6. PREPARATION: Typically in the preparation phase, stage six of a genocide, death lists are created and people are removed from their homes and are often forced to flee into IDP camps. IDP camps are internally displaced camps. In these camps, they are usually in a famine-struck region and many people have starved. This is happening in Darfur today. At this stage, a Genocide Emergency must be declared. The U.N should organize armed intervention, and take action. Otherwise, at least humanitarian assistance should be organized by the U.N. and private relief groups for the inevitable tide of refugees to come.
7. EXTERMINATION: Many wars are considered genocides during the seventh stage because this is when people are being tortured and killed. In Darfur, extermination has gone to a whole other level. Now in Darfur, every day brings new fear. Any person could be killed or raped at any moment. It is called murder to us but to the killers, its called extermination, because they actually believe that their victims are less human than they are. At this stage, only rapid and overwhelming armed intervention can stop genocide. Safe areas should be established with heavily armed international protection.
8. DENIAL: The eighth and last stage is the Denial stage. This is called the denial stage because the leaders of the genocide usually deny that they committed any hate crimes and often blame what happened on the victims. The Darfur genocide is still going on while this stage is beginning. . The Sudan government is trying to hide the fact that they did anything unethical. After this stage you should punish the perpetrators by an international courts.
Filed by two19 at February 20th, 2008 under Uncategorized
