Risk Factors and Other Early Warning Signs

Just as there are risk factors for illness — for instance, obesity is a risk factor for heart disease — there are indicators of the human rights abuses that can lead to systematic mass atrocity crimes.  With the caveat that not every risk factor is present in every humanitarian crisis, warning signs for atrocity crimes include:  Divisions within society by group, which may include exclusionary ideology; Economic and political discrimination against specific groups; Human flight and movement of refugees or internally displaced persons; Prior history of genocide or a legacy of vengeance-seeking for group grievances; and Ideological character of the ruling party, including incitement to hate. Read more about early warning signs in our report:  More Than An Ounce Required: Summoning the Political Will to Prevent Genocide and Mass Atrocity Crimes in the 21st Century.