The Problem of “Protecting Vulnerable Groups.” Rethinking Vulnerability for Mass Atrocity and Genocide Prevention

Abstract

This chapter highlights the significance of the interplay between norms of recognition of genocide and experiences of vulnerability and violence. “If vulnerability is one precondition for humanization, and humanization takes place differently through variable norms of recognition, then it follows that vulnerability is fundamentally dependent on existing norms of recognition if it is to be attributed to any human subject” (Butler, Precarious life: The powers of mourning and violence, London, Verso, 2004: 44). Vulnerability is a useful concept for analyzing a particular aspect of the human condition, one that is connected to experiences of loss and violence, and thus a relevant tool for genocide prevention. However, vulnerability should not be understood as a fixed term, designated to a wide variety of groups irrespective of the differences between them and the changes that take place in them. The notion of “protecting” these so-called vulnerable groups is another issue. It is the “protector” (in most cases the United Nations and international community) designating or assigning the term “vulnerable” to the groups. The problem is then one of recognition; it is a dilemma of power structures that are hierarchical and predetermined.

Using a feminist approach influenced by the work of Judith Butler, this chapter draws attention to the problems associated with the notion of “protecting vulnerable groups.” It focuses on three key areas: deconstructing ideas of “protection” and “vulnerability,” analyzing the relation between gender and violence and addressing the international legal framework on gender and sexual violence. It calls to question, who is doing the protecting? And for whom is the protection being done?