ABSTRACT
The term genocide was coined in 1944 by Raphael Lemkin. Born on June 24, 1900 in the rural village of Bezwodene in eastern Poland, his Jewish background, coupled with a natural love of learning, saw him develop an interest in human morality and how it was to be channelled for goodness. Historically, the causes of genocide are difficult to pin down. The concept of genocide is not an easy one to understand. Because it is locked directly into a legal definition that defines the concept and forms the international legislation that makes it a crime, there is a dissenting view that any definition of genocide should be expanded in order to explain all the horrors and injustices that the world has witnessed. Genocide covers many actions, though the proven intent to destroy is what really matters: if the ultimate aim is the permanent and deliberate elimination of the targeted group from the wider population, then it is genocide.
