ANNE FRANK: LESSONS IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIGNITIY
The human costs of war By JOYCE APSEL

". . . Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world."

— preamble, Declaration of Human Rights, 1948

The 20th century has been one of remarkable achievements and human progress. But the 20th century is also one of repeated genocide (from genus, which means "people," and cide, which means "killing"; that is, the intentional killing of innocent people belonging to a targeted group) and war. Over and over again under the cover of war, planned killing of civilians, of one group by another, has taken place.

From 1914 to 1917, World War I, and from 1939 to 1945, World War II, the ideas and tools of the modern era were harnessed for destruction, not construction. Woodrow Wilson, president of the United States, called World War I the "war to end all wars." In the Great War, more than 8.5-million people died in battle. There were millions of civilian deaths in addition to the state-sanctioned genocide of more than 1-million Armenian people by the Turkish government.

Two decades later, Adolf Hitler, in planning the elimination of people that resulted in the Holocaust (from the Greek term for "total burnt offering"), the destruction of 6-million Jews and 5-million Gypsies, Poles, homosexuals, mentally and physically disabled people and other non-combatants, remarked, "Who today speaks of the Armenians?"

Since 1945, genocides have taken place in many regions, including Cambodia, Guatemala, Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. How can the 21st century realize the much-talked-about global economy and civil society unless war, genocide and conflict stop?

Part of this Newspaper in Education series will look at ways to understand ourselves, analyze prejudice and deal with conflict. As individuals, there are positive ways to talk about who we are, accept our differences and emphasize our bonds as human beings. It is essential to understand our own history and laws and how they affect us. We need to think about creating a thriving environment where freedom, equality, economic opportunity and justice are part of our daily vocabulary and lives.

Dr. Joyce Apsel is director of education at the Anne Frank Center USA in New York. Please address questions or comments about this series to: Floridian, Anne Frank and Human Rights, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail Floridian@sptimes.com.

YANINA NAVARRO