Domicide (from Latin domus, meaning home or abode, and caedo, meaning deliberate killing) is the widespread destruction of a living environment forcing the incumbent humans to move elsewhere.[1][2] In a human rights context, domicide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of housing and basic infrastructure, making an area uninhabitable.[3] 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.[3][4][5]
Notable historical examples of domicide include the destruction of Warsaw and Dresden during World War II, the Khmer Rouge's destruction in Cambodia,[6] and the destruction of Gaza in the Israel–Hamas War.[7] Experts have argued that international law should be amended to consider domicide a war crime.[8]
See also: Bibliography of Genocide studies |
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