Genocides persist, nearly 70 years after the Holocaust – but there are recognized ways to help prevent them

Kerry Whigham, Assistant Professor of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention, Binghamton University, State University of New York, The Conversation on Dec 2, 2022

Published in Political News

This requires societies to deal with the risk factors that allowed genocide to take place, even as they rebuild.

For instance, after the 2007 elections in Kenya, massive inter-ethnic electoral violence broke out, killing over 1,000 people and displacing at least 350,000. The United Nations and the Kenyan government collaborated with nonprofits and local leaders to develop an early-warning network called the Uwiano Platform for Peace. This provides a hotline system where ordinary citizens can call or text if they hear hate speech or see violent acts. The information is then verified and, if it is credible, the central platform contacts local authorities to respond.

Following the implementation of Uwiano, no large-scale violence was reported after the 2010 and 2013 elections. Of course, Uwiano was not the only reason that Kenya avoided this violence. It took many international, national and local experts and others working together.

There is no single way to prevent genocide. What is clear, however, is that there are many different measures available that, together, can reduce the risk of genocide.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Kerry Whigham, Binghamton University, State University of New York. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters.

Kerry Whigham is affiliated with the Auschwitz Insitute for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities, an international non-governmental organization.