WUNRN
HOLOCAUST - HORRORS FOR WOMEN
Jewish women from the Mizocz Ghetto in the
[Photo credits:
Main Commission for the Investigation of Nazi War Crimes]
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Statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for
the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of Holocaust Victims
GENEVA – “On 27 January every year, we remind ourselves, as
we should, of a dark period in our history from more than 60 years ago – the
Holocaust. The terrible, systematic, cruel treatment meted out to millions of
Jewish men, women and children, as well as Roma, Slavs, disabled people,
homosexuals, Jehovah’s witnesses, communists and other political dissidents,
cannot be erased from human history, and every year we must make it a point to
remember. Among those who were killed were 1.5 million Jewish children and
thousands of other children.
The Holocaust serves as a reminder of the perils of
discrimination and intolerance, of just how powerful the incitement to racial
hatred can be, and of the importance of intervening early to prevent such a
tragedy from occurring again. In remembering the Holocaust and condemning the
atrocities committed there, we renew every year our condemnation of all
manifestations of intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against
individuals and entire communities, wherever they occur.
‘Learning from the past’ is also important to ensure that
young people today are aware of important historical events, terrible as they
may be, so that they can learn early on of the importance of their words and
attitudes towards those who are different from them. Hateful words can
translate into hateful actions and the consequences can be dire. Children and
young people must be taught their history, including the terrible mistakes of
the past, so that they can be vigilant against all manifestations of hatred
from the outset.”
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Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
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