Rafaella Petrunko - Academic Leadership Journal

The Bystander Effect

The word Genocide, from the Greek, Genos means family, tribe, race, and from the Latin - Caedes that is massacre. This term was originally coined by Raphael Lemkin, a Polish Jewish, in 1943. To define the word Genocide is debatable, but is basically define as crimes against humanity or war crimes. However, the United Nation' s Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide ,in 1948, defined as: "Any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group" such as:

(a)Killing members of the group;

(b)Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

(c)Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its

physical destruction in whole or in part;

(d)Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;

(e)Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."

The Genocide is a process in which develop in eight stages - classification, symbolization, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, extermination and denial. As we have been studied in the World History II classes, over the past years - 1915-1994, several Genocides perpetrated - Armenia, Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda. And as many of us did not know there are still currently genocides around the world, in which there are no enough attention given to them, as there were to the Holocaust - that people easily assimilate when talking about genocides . According to the site genocidewatch.org there are nine countries are experiencing genocide's at stage seven - extermination, current massacres : Democratic Republic of Congo Sudan, Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, North Korea, Myanmar and Ethiopia. And twelve countries under stage six - preparation, potential massacres: Nigeria, Lybia, Yemen, Colombia, Equatorial Guinea, Republic Congo, Chad, Central African Republic, Haiti, Kenya, Guinea- Bissau and PRChina. However, many people did not even know that there are Genocides currently happening in the world, since people who have the access to this type this information just prefer to take no notice of it and do something that it is going to benefit their life.

Unfortunately, we live in a society which is dominated by bystander effect that refers to cases in which individuals do not offer help to a victim. We have became accommodated with this situation, since we always think someone else we do for us. I believe, we as students and teenagers always have the willingness to help, however we also believe that we can't take significant actions, in which will after led to huge changes. In addition, teenagers always assume that adults will act upon certain events, causing more impact. As we have been discussing in class, no one in our class doubts that Genocides will continue to be perpetrated in our world. So, "what will you do about this? Explain why you will be a bystander or if you decide to take action, what type of action will you take?" Before, I started researching I have no idea that there are currently Genocides happening. But now that I'm aware of this situations, I can say ashamed that I m a bystander . Though, I used to say if a genocide happen I would be willing to help, still not taking a direct action - going there, and risking myself to save people who I do not even know - but throughout some other organization, saving money. Yet, I have done nothing trying to cause changes. But, if genocide was to happen in Brazil, and my family were directly involved, of course I would take direct action, trying to help, otherwise, I believe I would just be another bystander.

Thus, I can define myself as a bystander, but I want to change this in the future, always seeking a better life for everyone.