Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing

Grade levels:

CONTENT STATEMENT

10. Modern instances of genocide and ethnic cleansing present individual, organizational, and national issues related to the responsibilities of participants and non-participants.

CONTENT ELABORATION

Genocide and ethnic cleansing are extreme examples of civil and human rights issues. Historical examples of genocide (e.g., the Holocaust and Armenian genocide) can be applied to the understanding of more recent examples of genocide and ethnic cleansing such as:

  • Bosnia;
  • Rwanda; and
  • Darfur.

Ethnic cleansing involves the purposeful and forceful removal of a group of people from a region. The targeted groups have specific religious, national, racial, ethnic, or other cultural characteristics. Members of these groups are typically subjected to deportation, displacement or ultimately genocide.

Genocide involves the systematic murder of a group of people based upon specific religious, national, racial or other cultural characteristics.

Individuals, organizations and nations are faced with differing responsibilities as participants and non-participants during ethnic conflicts. These responsibilities are acted upon differently based on the interests and beliefs of those faced with ethnic conflicts
International efforts to recognize and protect human rights continue, resulting in a shared commitment by the international community to the principle of human rights.

EXPECTATIONS FOR LEARNING

Analyze modern instances of genocide and ethnic cleansing from individual, organizational, and national perspectives.

Companies addressing the standard: