Refugee Congress Calls for an End to Genocide During Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month
For Immediate Release: April 28, 2022
WASHINGTON–During the month of April, Refugee Congress recognizes Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month. We remember the millions of lives lost and cultures destroyed due to genocide, and we recommit to action to raise awareness about the genocides happening today and to prevent future genocides.
"While we commemorate the countless lives that were lost due to genocide, mass atrocities, war crimes and crimes against humanity, I also would like to remind us all that we have the power to create change for those who are still suffering such brutalities at the hands of their perpetrators around the world. If we want a safer world free of genocide, it is our responsibility to be the agents of change,” said Myra Dahgaypaw, Refugee Congress Delegate for Virginia.
As an organization built and led by former refugees, asylees and other vulnerable migrants, we want people who are experiencing genocide and violence to know that they are not alone and that we stand with them. Too often, genocide is overlooked by the international community and an official label of “genocide” comes far too late or not at all.
Many Refugee Congress Delegates and Honorary Delegates and others in our communities are survivors or genocide, and we know to well the intergenerational impact of surviving such horrors.
"Being a former refugee, I witnessed firsthand the genocide that took place in my country in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the consequences of genocide denial. No society or its people can move forward until the truth is told and perpetrators are held accountable. Those committing crimes against humanity are by far one of the greatest threats to our international community and achieving world peace. We must continue to raise awareness and do everything in our power to prevent future genocides,” said Nejra Sumic, Refugee Congress Delegate for Arizona.
Genocide, the intentional killing of large numbers of of people based on their race, ethnicity or religion with the aim of destroying that nation or group, was first recognized as a crime in international law in 1946, and the Genocide Convention was the first human rights treaty adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948.
However, despite commitments to “never again” following the Holocaust, the world has seen repeated genocides in the decades since, and there are ongoing acknowledge and unacknowledged genocides happening right now.
“There is nothing unprecedented about genocide. It is an organized, premeditated event of enormous proportions that I witnessed firsthand. What I came to understand was that evil unchecked for many years is a clear prelude to genocides like the Holocaust and those in Cambodia, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Armenia and other countries tied to them by horror, as well as the common recognition that the world failed them, us, in the greatest hour of need,” said Ayda Zugay, Refugee Congress Delegate for Massachusetts. “We need to have a seismic shift in the way we think about foreign policy and have resolve in the face of signs of most heinous human rights abuses. The international community must never again allow genocide to go unchecked, and governments should honor their responsibility mandated by international law to protect people and stop hiding behind bureaucracy to reach agreements on genocide prevention measures. When we continuously allow the practice of genocide and consent to the idea that not intervening is acceptable, we are in essence consenting to not doing anything as a compromise. Not doing anything to save lives is not a compromise.”
Even in cases where the attempt to destroy whole communities based on their race, ethnicity or religion have not received an international label of “genocide,” we support the people who are experiencing violence and persecution for being who they are. We are committed to recognizing these atrocities and working together with others to stop them.
We call for protection through laws and policies that protect vulnerable people from being victimized, steps to prevent genocide and violence, prosecution of those responsible for genocide and mass violence and remembrance of the millions of people whose lives have been lost or forever altered due to genocide.
The eyes of the world are now watching with horror the violence in Ukraine due to the invasion by the Russian army. Meanwhile, violence and atrocities are happening in other locations around the world that receive far less media attention and international focus or support. We call for the international community to recognize and take action to support those experiencing genocide and violence throughout the world.
“When American troops liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany in 1945, survivors gathered to display signs, all stating ‘Never Again’ in languages representing their mother tongues. This emphatic sentiment has persisted for nearly eight decades and has become a refrain, meant to signify an emotional commitment to never again allow such an atrocity to take place. Yet, since the Holocaust, we have seen the repeated, targeted destruction of people through war and genocide. We have allowed ‘Never Again’ to become empty words. As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors - from Auschwitz and Buchenwald - I firmly believe it is every person’s responsibility, our moral obligation, to act when we witness persecution, to welcome all those seeking safety into our communities,” said Nili Sarit Yossinger, Executive Director of Refugee Congress.
The month of April has particular significance due to memorial dates related to many genocides, including days of remembrance for the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide and the Rwandan Genocide, as well as critical moments in the history of genocides in Bosnia, Cambodia, Darfur and against the Kurds and other ethnic minorities in Iraq.
Tragically, these and so many other genocides have happened and continue to happen, under the name of “genocide” or “ethnic cleansing,” or with no “title” at all for preventable and horrific violence that no one should have to experience.
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Refugee Congress is a nonpartisan advocacy organization built and led by former refugees, asylum-seekers and other vulnerable migrants to promote the well-being, integration and dignity of all vulnerable migrants. With delegates across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, we use our voices and experiences to inform and influence decision-makers on critical domestic and international issues that affect our communities.
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