Tolerated atrocities

Passive atrocities
Preventable disabilities
Routine torture
Expendable people
Sanctioned atrocities
Customary atrocities
Acceptable misery
Condoned suffering
Atrocious tradeoffs
Collateral damage
Ignored outrages

Nature

Tolerated atrocities refer to severe violations of human rights or acts of violence that are knowingly ignored, accepted, or insufficiently addressed by authorities, institutions, or societies. This problem arises when social, political, or economic interests outweigh moral and legal obligations, leading to impunity for perpetrators and prolonged suffering for victims. Tolerated atrocities undermine the rule of law, erode public trust, and perpetuate cycles of abuse. Addressing this issue requires robust legal frameworks, accountability mechanisms, and a commitment to upholding universal human rights standards.

Incidence

There are at least 550 million persons with disabilities today who represent around one in ten of the world's population. Around 450 million of them live in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, 60% of the causes of disability could have been – or still could be – alleviated through low-cost preventative measures. In 1992, the director of UNICEF declared that for a few dollars per capita, the parents of the world could be helped to prevent their children from becoming malnourished, blinded, crippled, mentally retarded or dead.

Claim

In 1997, more people in the world died (nearly six million) from tuberculosis and malaria than in any previous year. The growth in gross global GNP and capability did not stop these diseases of poverty from their mass destruction. Concentration of power and wealth and the gross insensitivity of economic and political leadership had a good deal to do with these preventable casualties.

Counter-claim

The notion that "tolerated atrocities" are a significant problem is vastly overstated. In today’s world, most societies have robust legal systems and international oversight that prevent serious abuses from going unchecked. Focusing on so-called "tolerated atrocities" distracts from real progress and improvements in human rights. It is unnecessary alarmism to claim this is an important issue when, in reality, such cases are rare and often swiftly addressed.