(Posted April 17, 2019)

Courtesy: Rwanda Podium

Courtesy: Rwanda Podium

Huntingdon, Pa. -- Recently, Liliane Pari Umuhoza ’19 spoke at the United Nations Headquarters in New York at an event honoring Father Patrick Desbois with the first Raphael Lemkin Award for exemplary work in the fight against genocide, hosted by the World Jewish Congress and the Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the United Nations.

In an article covering the event, Rwanda Podium reports: "Panelist Liliane Pari Umuhoza, a child survivor of the genocide in Rwanda who has worked with other survivors over the years, elucidated that 'the current challenges facing survivors are trauma. It’s been 25 years, and people tend to forget or think that maybe with time it gets better, but healing and time are two different things.'"

"For survivors, the genocide is as clear as yesterday," Umuhoza says. "So how can we prevent those horrors from happening again? We must eradicate the culture of impunity, and work against the denial of genocide, which is a form of victimization.”

Umuhoza is a current Juniata student represented the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at the event. 

"It’s time we act because when we act, we save lives," Umuhoza concluded. "It’s important for the UN and other international organizations to use their influence to make ‘never again’ a reality. Only through collective and consistent efforts can these dreadful crimes be prevented."

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.