The crime of genocide is a horrible, despicable crime, though many have fallen victim to it throughout the years.Their voices silenced forever, leaving the world with few records of their experiences. Elie Wiesel, author and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, survived the Holocaust. His family members and friends were victims of this genocide. He captures in his memoir, Night, the grim feeling of suffering during the Holocaust when he reports, “Not a sound of distress, not a plaintive cry, nothing but a sound of mass agony and silence.” (89) At the time of the Holocaust, world leaders had not defined genicide, but when the definition came out, it became apparent that the definition only protected select groups, such as religious, racial, ethnic and cultural groups. Because this definition still leaves many groups vulnerable, the United Nations should revise the definition of genocide to protect individuals of various political groups, the mentally and physically disabled, as well as age groups. The UN should change its definition to protect political groups. The UN definition is so narrow that it excludes …show more content…
Most individuals wouldn’t identify themselves foremost by their age, and yet, a person’s age can make them a target. Children and the elderly become targets because many cannot provide for and defend themselves, and they aren’t as able bodied as young adults. Robin Wright, a reporter for The New Yorker claims that, “The specific targeting of children is one of the grimmest new developments in the way conflicts have been waged over the past fifty years.” The current definition of genocide doesn't acknowledge this heinous crime, even though the killers target children and the elderly specifically. Therefore, the definition leaves many individuals, not only children and the elderly,