Domicide



Domicide (from Latin domus, meaning home or abode, and caedo, meaning deliberate killing) is the widespread destruction of a living environment, forcing the incumbent humans to move elsewhere. In a human rights context, domicide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of housing and basic infrastructure, making an area uninhabitable. The concept of domicide originated in the 1970s, but only assumed its present meaning in 2022, after a report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing.

Notable historical examples of domicide include the destruction of Warsaw and Dresden during World War II and the Khmer Rouge's destruction in Cambodia. Experts have argued that international law should be amended to consider domicide a war crime.