Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies

The Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS) is recognized internationally as Canada's pre-eminent centre for the study of genocide and crimes against humanity. MIGS strives to establish and manage major research programs focused on the prevention and prosecution of genocide and other crimes against humanity.

MIGS is mandated to:

1. Educate students, academics, journalists, government officials, members of civil society and the general public to enhance their understanding of the history and sociology of genocide, the prevention of genocide and other mass atrocity crimes and the domestic and international legal frameworks for punishing perpetrators of genocide and crimes against humanity;
2. Develop and manage major research programs focusing on the prevention and punishment of genocide and other mass atrocity crimes, as well as creating innovative public policies to prevent future mass atrocities;
3. Foster the growth of a cooperative international network of institutes engaged in the study of genocide and other mass atrocity crimes.

MIGS was founded in 1986, based in the departments of History and Sociology/Anthropology at Concordia University. In recent years, Concordia faculty members and graduate students from Communications, English, Geography, and Political Science have joined in its work, as have colleagues from McGill and the University of Quebec in Montreal.