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Jan. 27, 2005 Today is the 60th anniversary of the Red Army's liberation of Auschwitz. 1.2 million people were killed, and we attempt to remember this day, so that it is never repeated. Our children study it in history and we feel terrible that such an incident ever took place. That is the past and it can never be undone. It is happening today, right now as you read this. Genocide of national, ethnic, and tribal groups is increasing in Sudan. It has been reported that the Arab janjawid militias have been responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of black Sudanese in Darfur. The killings in Darfur surely constitute genocide and should provide a basis for action under international law. Unfortunately, there has virtually been no intervention to date. In a natural disaster, like the recent tsunami incident, most of the countries in the world came forward to help, either through donations or sending manpower to salvage the countries that were hit. However, when it comes to man-made disasters, like genocide and mass murders, we are not so quick to help. Why is that? It was reported today by the United Nations Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS) that dozens of people have been killed or injured during a series of attacks by rebels or armed tribesmen against villages in the Darfur region. The United Nations has called it “the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe”. Genocide is happening today, on the 60th Anniversary of Auschwitz. The question is do we care, and if we do, what do we do? Unless you are an activist, or a rebel without a cause type, people rarely champion the rights of the less fortunate (in this case, those with less freedom and rights). Human rights organisations and other non-governmental organisations are always there to start beating the freedom drum when rights are curtailed. A person who lives in a country that openly embraces freedom, in its constitution, in its human rights legislation and in its actions, rarely feels that freedom is an issue. Perhaps it is a passing thought when they watch world news. There is always a country “somewhere out there”, where freedom is hanging by a very fine thread, or where it is dead. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 3 says, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.” The people who have died in Darfur had that right to live, just like the 1.2 million who died in Auschwitz. Perhaps then, 60 years ago, the world was less able to save them, but today, could we not have prevented this? Can we not stop this? “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” I think we have the power as a people to urge our governments and leaders to act and to stop genocide. Are we going to wait another 60 years to act? ------------ About the author: Thaatchaayini Kananatu is a freelance writer and lives in Ontario, Canada. Email her at: thaatchaayini@hotmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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