Mass slaughter between two groups of the same race received no international assistance in Rwanda 1994. Refusal to use their authority and help prevent this genocide made bystanders of all non-participating world leaders. Had they not stood by and taken some action, millions of lives would’ve been saved. And so, it is most agreeable that these bystanders known as international authoritative figures be held responsible for their actions during the genocide in Rwanda due to their act of conformity, their misuse of power and turning a blind eye; all things if not done could have prevented this tragic event from ever happening.
It is not so much of what leaders did that classified them as bystanders during this tragic genocide, but it is more so of what they didn’t do. Two main factors that caused these international rulers to be a group of the most harmful bystanders is the excuse that it is “none of their business” and the fear of putting their country’s safety at risk by getting involved. In addition to this, they didn’t get anything out of it so they didn’t get involved. As the Bystander Theory…show more content… Their actions were related to the Bystander Theory, explained by Milgram’s Obedience Study and understood through the Ignorance Theory. Deciding to remain shut eyed towards the Rwandan Genocide caused innocents to suffer for nothing other than their cultural background. Having such respected power and choosing to use it in the ways that were not even in the slightest of favours of the Rwandans was yet another reason as to why these international leaders should be held responsible for this massacre. Finally, the Bystander Theory came to life through the actions of the world’s leaders and conformity took over. These bystanders did an immense amount of damage in the background and should be held accountable for their actions, because if their choices were the opposite to what they really were then this genocide would have been stopped a lot sooner than it
