Genocide Past and Current

In the past 150 years, tens of millions of men, women and children have lost their lives to ethnic cleansing or genocide. Although the definition is often scrutinized, according to Merriam Webster, "Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political or cultural group". The most notable event associated with the term is the Holocaust. Stated by Judah Gribets, Edward Greenstein and Regina Stein, "nearly six million Jews fell victim to genocide during the years of the Holocaust". Of This number, one million were children who were unable to take care of themselves. People's hopes and dreams for the future were stripped from them, and many families were ripped apart. Many of these people were tortured or raped after being forced from their homes. Those who were able to work were forced to do so, and the rest were to be killed. People knew that they would never see their families again. Genocide does not stop there either. Nearly a dozen countries have, or currently are facing a crises like this. Past atrocities go all the way back to Armenia in 1915, Cambodia in 1975, Rwanda in the early 1990s and Bosnia in 1991. Countries that are currently at risk include: Burma, Libya, Sudan and Syria. As of now, all eyes are on Sudan as tensions continually grow in Darfur. If action is not taken to stop genocide, the future of Darfur may hold mass killings that top even those of Cambodia, Rwanda and the Holocaust.

One of the more recent, and one of the most unknown instances of Genocide would be that of Cambodia. In 1975 a Khmer Rouge party leader, "Pol Pot" attempted to centralize and nationalize the peasant farming society. He had planned to morph in accordance with the Chinese Communist model. Since it's ...

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...the war over Darfur. Without even more future help, Darfur will be amongst the others as one of the most gruesome acts of murder in history.

It is clear that without outside help, genocide can never be completely erased. Tens of millions of deaths are a remembrance of what the past has held, as well as a warning of what the future may hold. The acts that occurred in Cambodia, Rwanda and the Holocaust can never be erased, but they symbolize what must be done to protect those of Darfur and those people who will be oppressed in the future. If action is taken quickly, millions of lives can be saved in the future. Currently, not enough is done to help these countries that are at risk. With the Lack of numbers and training, current troops have done little to help the situation that Darfur currently faces. It is up to those on the outside to truly change the future.