Genocide Prevention Toolbox

These 11 Core Principles of Genocide Prevention are an educational tool for individuals and organizations engaged in atrocity prevention.

The Ten Patterns of Genocide is a 2-page guide to the various patterns through which genocide historically had been pursued. Most of these patterns are reflected in the legal definition of genocide as determined by the 1948 Genocide Convention. Others are based on historical processes of genocide that are overlooked by the legal definition either because they are largely structural in nature or because they emphasize cultural destruction, an element that UN member states intentionally left out of the Convention.

This document is organized as a checklist of types of atrocity that often occur during genocide. The types of atrocity are organized under headings that can help recorders understand the specific pattern of genocide that may be unfolding. The checklist has been developed for use by individuals and NGOs working in conflict zones and includes clear sections for organizing data and sources. It works well alongside other measures, such as Genocide Watch's Ten Stages of Genocide and the UN Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes (see below).

This Google Doc can be used to record interviews with witnesses of attacks and atrocities. It is a detailed form intended to offer a granular view of conflict. It can also be used to record second-hand observations by researchers and others interested in understanding the shape of a conflict or of a specific incident of attack. The document is meant to be shareable, so that many people can add information in one central space. It is easy to use with the Google Sheets App on cell phones with both iOS and Android operating systems.

The United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948) sets out the legal definition of the crime (Article II). While the legal definition is a good guide, for prevention it is important to be aware of the many slight variations on this definition among scholars and jurists, particularly ones that do not limit the crime to four protected categories of group ("national, ethnical, racial or religious group"). Note that in addition to genocide, there are four other crimes covered by the Convention (Article III): conspiracy to commit genocide; direct and public incitement to commit genocide, attempt to commit genocide, and complicity in genocide.

Dr. Gregory Stanton's Ten Stages of Genocide has been used for decades an an educational and an early warning tool. The stages can overlap, occur simultaneously, and do not always follow a linear path. Each stage identified here includes suggested steps that individuals and governments can take to address genocidal violence.

Developed by the UN Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide and on the Responsibility to Protect and released in 2014, this Framework is meant to serve as a "guide for assessing the risk of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes."

The Anti-Defamation League's Pyramid of Hate is a one-page educational tool that demonstrates expressions of hate ideology at increasing levels of complexity within a society, from biased attitudes at the bottom to genocide at the top.