Domicide
Domicide (from Latin domus, meaning home or abode, and caedo, meaning deliberate killing) is the destruction of a living environment so that the incumbent humans are forced to move elsewhere.[1] In a human rights context, domicide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of housing and basic infrastructure, making an area uninhabitable.[2] The concept of domicide originated in the 1970s, but only assumed its present meaning in 2022, after a report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing.[2][3][4]
Notable historical examples of domicide include the destruction of Warsaw and Dresden during World War II, the Khmer Rouge's destruction in Cambodia,[5] and the destruction of Gaza in the Israel–Hamas War.[6] Experts have argued that international law should be amended to consider domicide a war crime.[7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Porteous, Douglas; Sandra E. Smith (2001). Domicide: The Global Destruction Of Home. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 12. ISBN 9780773569614.
- ^ a b "Amid Israeli Destruction in Gaza, a New Crime Against Humanity Emerges: Domicide". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
- ^ "Report of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context, Balakrishnan Rajagopal (A/77/190) [EN/AR/RU/ZH] - World | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
- ^ ""Domicide" must be recognised as an international crime: UN expert". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. October 28, 2022.
- ^ Collins, Andrew E (2009). Disaster and Development. Routledge. p. 109. ISBN 9780203879238.
- ^ Wintour, Patrick (7 December 2023). "Widespread destruction in Gaza puts concept of 'domicide' in focus". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ Rajagopal, Balakrishnan (2024-01-29). "Opinion | Domicide: The Mass Destruction of Homes Should Be a Crime Against Humanity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-29.