Genocide is the deliberate extermination or partial destruction of certain groups of the population on national, racial, religious, or ethnic grounds (Barnes-Ceeney et al., 2019). It is a social phenomenon that has been studied in detail by scientists, and therefore it can be prevented in the beginning. Genocide is considered to have ten consecutive stages, which do not have a consistent connection, and each of the stages has methods of its prevention.
The first stage of genocide is classification. People in leadership positions begin to classify people based on race, religion, nationality, or ethnicity (Burleson & Giordano, 2016). In this case, the designation "we" and "they" are used (Charny, 2016). At the initial stage, the method of prevention is the creation of universalist institutions that improve social cohesion.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The second stage is the symbolization. Victims are not identified as people, but as members of a particular nationality, for example, Jews, Gypsies, and others (Barnes-Ceeney et al., 2019). For recognition, criminals endow these victims with specific colors or symbolic garments (Barnes-Ceeney et al., 2019). Methods of prevention include a ban on symbols and any items of clothing that symbolize discrimination of particular categories of people.
The next stage is discrimination. A group of criminals creates laws and traditions to deny the rights of victims of genocide (Charny, 2016). A group of victims is endowed with civil rights. The primary prevention is the guarantee of all civil rights for all social groups equally (Charny, 2016). Moreover, any discrimination must be recognized as illegal (Charny, 2016).
The fourth stage is dehumanization. At this stage, propaganda for the settlement of victims appears. Such propaganda often includes parallels with animals, diseases, or insects (Burleson & Giordano, 2016). The method of prevention is the condemnation and punishment of people who participated in the creation of such propaganda. An equally effective way is to sanction any incitement to support genocide.
The fifth stage is the organization. At this stage, the state and law enforcement agencies participate in the creation of plans for the extermination of people by genocide (Nikuze, 2016). The method of struggle is the punishment of the country's leaders and the introduction of a ban on the import of weapons into these countries, as well as the creation of a commission to investigate such state activities.
The next stage is the polarization. This phase involves promoting the distinction between victims and criminals. Any interaction between victims and other members of society is prohibited (Nikuze, 2016). A method of prevention is the protection of oppressed groups and the seizure of criminals' assets.
The seventh stage is preparation. This stage includes the compilation of lists of doomed victims, their identification, and coercion to wear symbolic garments. Also, during this period, deportation, isolation, and forced fasting begin (Barnes-Ceeney et al., 2019). The methods of prevention are international force interventions, the protection of victims, and the provision of humanitarian assistance.
The eighth stage is persecution. At this stage, criminals finish making lists based on ethnic or religious affiliation to locate and isolate victims. If the state sponsors the genocide, victims are required to wear identifying symbols, and their property is often seized (Burleson & Giordano, 2016). Prevention at this stage is the mobilization of local and international forces to help victims.
The ninth stage is extermination. At this stage, the criminals begin the process of exterminating the victims, since they do not consider their victims as humans (Nikuze, 2016). At this stage, only large-scale armed interventions can stop genocide. In this situation, not only the national authority but also the international community should help in ending the genocide by providing financial support and military equipment.
The last stage of genocide is denial. People who have participated in the genocide do not admit their guilt (Charny, 2016). Moreover, at this stage, the victims are accused of crimes that have been committed against them (Charny, 2016). At the same time, the evidence is carefully hidden, and witnesses of crimes are intimidated. The prevention of such situations is public education, as well as an international tribunal or court that should punish criminals.
Consequently, genocide is the deliberate destruction of a particular group of people, which can be organized both by the state and by individual social groups. This social phenomenon has ten stages that are not sequential and can exist simultaneously. Each of the phase has methods of counteraction, such as a legislative ban on discrimination, humanitarian assistance to victims, and others so genocide can be combated at every stage.
References
Barnes-Ceeney, K., Gideon, L., Leitch, L., & Yasuhara, K. (2019). Recovery after Genocide: Understanding the Dimensions of Recovery Capital among Incarcerated Genocide Perpetrators in Rwanda. Frontiers in Psychology , 10 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00637
Burleson, S., & Giordano, A. (2016). Spatiality of the Stages of Genocide: The Armenian Case. Genocide Studies and Prevention , 10 (3), 39-58. https://doi.org/10.5038/1911-9933.10.3.1410
Charny, I. (2016). Worksheet for Describing and Categorizing a Genocidal Event: A New Tool for Assembling More Objective Data and Classifying Events of Mass Killing. Social Sciences , 5 (3), 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci5030031
Nikuze, D. (2016). Comparative Analysis of the Genocidal Process: Holocaust and the Genocide against the Tutsi. Contemporary Review of the Middle East , 3 (3), 316-328. https://doi.org/10.1177/2347798916651175
