Different Genocides in the world and their effects - Essay Example

Different Genocides in the world and their effects Speaking about genocides it is impossible to forget the victims of them. Usually the victims of genocides are innocent people – children. They suffer in different ways and mostly – physically and psychologically. Every thing in their life changes after genocide. The example of such genocide is genocide in Rwanda. It was one of the most terrible genocides all over the world. Another terrible example is Dafur genocide. It is horrible because of the massive sexual rapes and violence. Many women were raped and if they had children after this, the children were not recognized by the tribe and had to be killed. Boys and men were raped also and then they were castrate. They could not have children any more. They were victims and children who were not born were victims also. 15 years ago in Rwanda, there was the most massive bloodshed in the history of the XX-th century. For decades, in Rwanda there was a civil war on ethnic lines between the Tutsi, a minority in the country, and the Hutu, the majority. The bloodshed erupted on the 6-th of April 1994. Supporters of President Habyarimany killed over eight thousand ethnic Tutsis and politically moderate members of the Hutu tribe, accusing them of sympathizing Tutsi rebels. Tens of thousands of children lost their fathers and mothers. Thousands of women have been victims of horrific brutality and rape. Hundreds of thousands of Rwandans fled from the country. (Dallaire 2004, p56) Many Rwandans are still unable to forget the effects of their personal trauma and the horrors of genocide. At the time of mass rape, many women were infected with AIDS and subsequently died, leaving thousands of orphaned children. According to a report by the UN for Rwanda, nearly one hundred thousand children in the country made themselves because their parents either were killed during the genocide or had died of AIDS or had been thrown in prison for crimes related to the mass atrocities. United Nations International Tribunal to investigate crimes in Rwanda is trying to bring to justice those most responsible for genocide. Dozens of leaders of Rwanda has convicted one of them - Jean Kambanda, Prime Minister of the Government of Rwanda during the genocide. Among them - Félicien Kabuga, a wealthy businessman who has financed a Rwandan radio station, calling Hutus to kill members of the Tutsi tribe. Kabuga is also accused of supplying weapons to Hutu militias. (Dallaire 2004, p72) United States offered a reward of five million dollars for information that might lead to the arrest of Kabuga or any person on the list of accused, drawn up by the UN tribunal. As the representative of the U.S. State Department Adam Äärelä, “The United States continues its efforts to bring to justice those involved in heinous acts of genocide in Rwanda. We will continue to assist the people of Rwanda in its quest to rebuild the country after the genocide”. The 1994 genocide in Rwanda was the result of policies aimed at the systematic extermination of people. The people of Rwanda survived, but deep scars remain. The effects of ethnically motivated hatred in Rwanda is now obvious to all, and the world should learn from them. In 2007, an important study appeared in the Journal of Traumatic Stress . The authors, Atle Dyregrov, Leila Gupta, Rolf Gjestad, and Eugenie Mukanoheli interviewed survivors from Rwanda . These children survivors saw their how their relatives were killed. Actually these children did not believe to stay alive after the genocide. They believes that their death has begun already. The study revealed a high incidence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among the children. The results are disturbing: the psychic of children changes completely and they were keeping remembering the images of genocide. (Dyregrov 2000) It should be noted that many children had to join the army and to become killers because they had no other options – they will kill or they will be killed. It is very difficult to imagine their psychological emotions while making the choice. This ability to deny or become apathetic was a good defense mechanism that allowed the children to survive the traumas of losing one’s parents, and face murder, torture, and eventually death (Kahn, Kestenberg 112 ). In the history of mankind, genocide is a tragedy that left deep imprints in the hearts and minds of its children survivors. In fact, some of the survivors would even vehemently deny that they were part of that tragic event. As recounted by one survivor of the Holocaust: Telling the truth was difficult for us child survivors from the very start, when we would have loved to gush our anguish. We would have been killed had we exposed ourselves. Through severe internal and external injunctions, our stories were not acknowledged. They were hidden, fragmented, splintered, inside a similarly hidden, compartmentalized non coherent self. (Kestenberg and Fogelman 122 ) Rwandan Kamanda Emmanuel, who is now 49 years old, with deep regret remembers about the fact that he was on the side of the killers in 1994: “I have confessed to committing several crimes and asked for forgiveness. I think that is why, after seven years in prison I was released to freedom. I was released last year, ever since I visited the house 14 families and apologized for having killed their relatives. My participation in the genocide began on April 8, when we are stripped of life of many patients local hospital. I threw grenades and shot people at close range from a rifle. It is not easy to communicate with their relatives because they have vivid memories of those whom I have cruelly deprived of life. I helped one widow build a kitchen in compensation. Joint work makes communication easier for both parties. During the time in prison I was changed - to realize that to do this. I realized at that time was a mere puppet. I will now, undoubtedly, prefer death to actuate such orders”. (Dallaire 2004, p244) In turn, the victims of terror see the situation in another way, it is difficult to forgive the killers. Thus, the 46-year-old Francine Mukaruzima tells the following: “They hunted for my family like animals. Most relatives and dear to me people brutally deprived of life. My husband was killed and 16 children, warmly loved by me, the survivors were only three. I was raped by several men in succession. After the war I started to get sick often. I checked the blood for AIDS. The test proved positive”. (Dallaire 2004, p251) There also the memories of witnesses of genocide in Dafur, connected with the use of sexual violence: “I was collecting water in the river bed, just outside town when I met a group of men in military uniform who asked me to bring them some water. I brought them some but the men threw the water in my face. I went home carrying my buckets of water and those men followed me. When we were close to the village, they told me to come to their camp. I refused but they pulled me. My mother was around and asked them to stop. The men started to beat both of us. My mother fell down on the ground. One of the men took me aside and raped me.” - This is a story of the woman who was 28 and she was 6 months pregnant at the time of the rape. (The Crushing Burden of Rape) “I was working in my farm alone on that day. Eight men with guns came to me and ordered me to give my coat. I refused so they started beating me with a stick on my back. Five men took me and raped me. One of the men pointed a gun at me after that and wanted to shoot me. Another man stopped him. My wife, who was on her way to meet me in the farm, saw me with the men. The same men took her and 2 of them raped her as well.” – This is the story of the men who was 28. (The Crushing Burden of Rape) The Government of Rwanda has been focused on building a new society and on housing for victims of genocide, education and medical care. However, government resources are limited. Leadership can not afford to buy expensive medicines for all women, who during the genocide were victims of violence and were living with AIDS. The state budget at all desire does not take care of the victims of genocide. The world community is obliged to help. Even 10 years after the tragedy, its consequences are still being felt. World will be able to determine only if the representatives of both tribes will cease to ascertain the relationship and accept the existence of each other, and the government of Rwanda recognizes the equal rights of tribes. (Dallaire 2004, p103) Since the genocide in general, not only embodies the idea of destruction, but also the idea of universal destruction of certain religious, ethnic or national group, the victims of this criminal act will inevitably find themselves and children. In fact, they almost always become an integral part of the population, doomed to destruction. For this reason, the genocidal fate of children is often seen as an object derived from the problem that doomed the entire population as a whole. This may be acceptable at the operational level, the crime of mass murder, disappear when differences in age, gender, socio-economic status, religion, ethnic group or nationality. They are all indiscriminately fell into the category of people, doomed to imminent destruction. However, despite serious obstacles, in recent decades, attempts to identify certain traits or characteristics that are against genocidal treatment of children. This attempt makes it possible to consider children as a special category within the broader category of the whole doomed people. The staggering figures of the victims of genocide ,particularly young children are shocking, yet in due course of time, people get used to the events as sporadic incidence of genocide are committed from different parts of the world. Sadly, those who survived are children who must live with painful memories to the last day of their lives. Different forms of defense mechanisms may have been adapted by these children survivors but they can never escape the reality of their past. A single stroke of sensory stimulation – a perfume, voices, simulated situations; photographs evoke the deepest fears that haunt them. In the meantime, different well-meaning groups like anthropologists, psychiatrists, and scholars have been funded by big institutions in order to recollect the events so that the world may learn its lesson. However, children survivors of recent genocide such as the Rwandan experience continue to live in misery. The economy of the countries they live in does not much have to offer to rehabilitate their plight. One of the best things that this generation of educators can do to help them is to conscientiously educate the young generation about genocide and its evils. Perhaps, if this advocacy against genocide is planted inside the classroom, the seed will grow and hopefully eliminate future instances of genocide. Education is the best transmitter of culture and for those who carry the burden of educating young children, let them carry this burden so future generations would be spared of this menace to mankind. In every culture and society, there is division into “their” and “outsiders” - on the basis of nationality, race, religion, etc. (the Germans and Jews, Muslims and Christians, etc.). In the case of bipolar society, that is, it is home to two large and different populations, the occurrence of genocide is most likely. Any genocide is not sudden: States and societies to take some time to prepare to commit the crime. At any stage of development it was possible to stop the genocide. Genocide is always organized: in most cases, the State and, more rarely - by informal means, for example, using the militias or religious organizations. Part band, crowds of people carrying out genocide, as a rule, pre-armed and / or trained. At this stage, preparing plans for murder, for example, was “blacklisted”. (Disch 2000,p98) Party-organizer of genocide always denies genocide. It declares unreliable testimony of victims of genocide, is trying to destroy the mass graves of victims, accused of terrible crimes of the victims of genocide. The organizers of the genocide block the investigation into these crimes. In some cases, the criminal rulers of countries, organized the genocide, were able to escape criminal liability. References Disch Thomas M. (2000). The Genocides. Vintage; 1st Vintage Books Ed edition Dyregrov Atle, Gupta Leila, Gjestad Rolf, and Mukanoheli Eugenie . Trauma Exposure and Psychological Reactions to Genocide Among Rwandan Children. Journal of Traumatic Stress. Vol.13. No. 1, 2000. Dallaire Roméo, Power Samantha (2004). Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda. Da Capo Press Fogelman ,Eva. and Kestenberg ,Judith S .Children during the Nazi Reign: Psychological Perspective on the Interview Process. Praeger Publishers. Westport, CT. 1994.Page Number: 122. Kiernan Ben (2009). Blood and Soil: A World History of Genocide and Extermination from Sparta to Darfur. Yale University Press Kahn ,Charlotte and Kestenberg, Judith S. Children Surviving Persecution: An International Study of Trauma and Healing. Praeger. Westport, CT. Publication Year: 1998. Page Number: 112. Minow Martha (1999). Between Vengeance and Forgiveness: Facing History after Genocide and Mass Violence. Beacon Press Smith Andrea (2005). Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide. South End Press The Crushing Burden of Rape, A briefing paper by Médecins Sans Frontières, Amsterdam, 2005 Read More