About
About the Genocide in Darfur, Sudan
For over four years, the first genocide of the twenty-first century has devastated millions of innocent, non-combatant civilians in the Darfur region of Sudan. The government of Sudan has sent its troops and hired militias known as the Janjaweed (”devils on horseback”) to systematically destroy the livelihoods of Darfurians by bombing and burning villages, looting any and all economic resources, and committing egregious crimes by murdering, raping, and torturing innocent civilians. Though obstruction by the government of Sudan has prevented the international community from finding concrete statistics on mortality, we know that hundreds of thousands have died and over 2.5 million have been displaced as a result of the conflict.
In 2007 alone, over 250,000 more Darfurians have been displaced according to the United Nations Mission in Sudan. As a result of the massive displacement and violence, refugees have fled en masse to the neighboring countries of Chad and the Central African Republic, where they face additional conflict. The violence has not only been targeting Darfurians but also humanitarian convoys and international peacekeepers that have been working tirelessly to try to deliver aid and provide protection.
Learn more about Darfur from the Genocide Intervention Network, and stay up-to-date with weekly Genocide Monitor news briefs.
The Technology to End Genocide?
The Genocide Intervention Network, which exists to empower individuals with the tools to prevent and stop genocide, has repurposed an old technology — the toll free phone number — and paired it with automation technology to launch a powerful new tool in the fight against genocide.
This innovative technology application empowers callers to quickly and easily learn about the issues and directly contact policy makers. Importantly, this adaptation of old technology enables concerned constituents to make their voice and opinion heard though collective action. 1-800-GENOCIDE’s technology gives real people with real opinions the ability to make a difference.The Genocide Intervention Network recognizes that the fight to stop genocide is won or lost in the realm of domestic politics, and we offer this permanent, toll-free number to facilitate effective anti-genocide advocacy.
1-800-GENOCIDE helps transform “Never Again” from a promise we make to a commitment we keep. Please use 1-800-GENOCIDE today to make an impact now and tell your friends, associates and family about the anti-genocide hotline!
How the Anti-Genocide Hotline Works
When calling 1-800-GENOCIDE, constituents are asked to enter their zip code. The system recognizes the state and district of the caller, enabling the caller’s elected officials to be determined. The caller is then presented with connection choices, including the governor, representative, senators and the White House. Prior to being connected, callers are provided with a short, up-to-date briefing on the latest anti-genocide legislation specific to their elected officials and customized talking points — enabling them to make specific, effective requests once they are connected. Callers can also be patched through to the offices of the Genocide Intervention Network with any questions or for more information.
The Genocide Intervention Network is able to track calls that are made on the issue and collect feedback from callers. As a result, GI-Net is able to demonstrate with statistical evidence the hotline’s use and importance in anti-genocide advocacy. GI-Net also uses this data to tailor the hotline to the needs of constituents.
Our website, 1800Genocide.com, enables callers to access written talking points and additional information as well as submit feedback on their calls.
GI-Net was able to create this system with the help of two companies. The first is Verizon, which provides the 800 number and traditional phone technology that handles the incoming and outgoing calls. The second company is DeweyHub, which provides the interactive, fully-automated phone system back-end.
High-Profile Celebrity Advocacy with 1-800-GENOCIDE
In February 2007, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, a leading voice in the movement to end genocide in Darfur, highlighted the effectiveness of the anti-genocide hotline. Subsequently, Angelina Jolie, who serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nation’s refugee agency, called on US residents to use 1-800-GENOCIDE in an article that appeared in People magazine in March. Don Cheadle, star of the Oscar-nominated film “Hotel Rwanda,” prominently featured the anti-genocide hotline as an effective method for action while on tour for his new book, Not On Our Watch, with fellow Darfur activist John Prendergast.
1-800-GENOCIDE in Canada
On Oct. 15, 2007, STAND Canada launched the 1-800-GENOCIDE hotline in Canada. Now, Canadian anti-genocide advocates will have the ability to contact three key members of the Canadian Parliament to request action on Darfur.
Visit STAND Canada’s website for more information.
Not only is this anti-genocide hotline the first of its kind, it is the first international phone tool which enables both Americans and Canadians to directly access their elected officials. We are proud to work with our Canadian partner organization, STAND Canada.
About GI-Net
The Genocide Intervention Network envisions a world in which the global community is willing and able to protect civilians from genocide and mass atrocities. Our mission is to empower individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide.
GI-Net aims to build an educated political constituency. GI-Net’s programs and policy goals will be consistent with the principles of the “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) report. This report offers guidelines for international intervention when governments are unwilling or unable to protect their own citizens from preventable, widespread violence. Using the R2P report as a guide and consulting with the authors of the report and other experts, our efforts will enable citizens to support the most responsible and the most effective means of civilian protection in the face of genocidal crises.
The Genocide Intervention Network (originally the Genocide Intervention Fund) was created by students at Swarthmore College in the fall of 2004 to give concerned Americans the opportunity to help protect civilians from genocide. GI-Net’s founders believed that private contributions in support of peacekeepers in Darfur, Sudan, the site of the twenty-first century’s first genocide, could protect civilians and inspire policymakers to take action. With the help of high-profile endorsers, GI-Net established a program in collaboration with the African Union, which leads the only peacekeeping force currently in Darfur. GI-Net’s landmark program allows average Americans to have a direct impact on the ground by helping to fund civilian protection — specifically, to protect women and girls in refugee camps in North Darfur. In the long term, we believe empowering individuals to stand against genocide will build the political will necessary for the international community to recognize its responsibility to protect the victims of genocide and mass atrocities.
