Abstract

This article proposes a human rights sequence theory of atrocity and a human rights-based approach to atrocity prevention. It argues that human rights violations escalate in predictable patterns, sometimes culminating in atrocities and genocide. Drawing on new cross-national, time-series data measuring government respect for 24 human rights and a new operational definition of atrocity, the article employs Mokken Scale Analysis to show that violations such as extensive torture, political imprisonment, and labor rights abuses typically precede the onset of widespread extrajudicial killings and genocide. These findings suggest an early warning system using information about human rights violations to inform upstream prevention strategies.

Keywords:

• atrocity
• extrajudicial killing
• genocide
• comparative human rights
• upstream prevention
• Mokken Scaling Analysis
• CIRIGHTS

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Skip Mark

Skip Mark is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island and Director of the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies.

David Cingranelli

David Cingranelli is a Professor of Political Science at Binghamton University, SUNY and Co-director of the university’s Human Rights Institute.