It recently came to my attention that April has been named Genocide Prevention Month by many human rights and genocide prevention groups around the world. They are working together to plan events and create greater awareness for the ongoing conflicts in many areas of the world. I thought it would be relevant to take a minute and help spread some information about this cause.
April is a month of anniversaries for some of the worst human rights atrocities in Armenia, Bosnia, Cambodia, Darfur and Rwanda, as well as events in the Holocaust. James Boyce's blog has a great description of the month, highlighting some of the events and suggesting other websites to check out. Find out more information about the on-going conflict in Darfur, as well as in Armenia. One organization working to change the way the world sees genocide is Stop Genocide Now, whose name says it all. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is also taking action in memory of millions already lost.
It is difficult to be far removed from these conflicts and to be able to conjure a sense of empathy that allows us to connect with the people suffering at the hands of awful oppressors. We often forget that much of the world is not only suffering from lack of water, food, or education, but from oppression and genocide as well. April may be a time to reflect on the events that have shaped our understanding of human rights. The spread of information and discussion is one powerful tool in fighting human rights violations. Maybe taking some time to share with your friends the history of genocide in the month of April will contribute to global awareness and concern for the lives of many forgotten people.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment