Crime Quote by James Orbinski
“As Albert Camus wrote, the doctor’s role is as a witness – to witness authentically the reality of humanity, and to speak out against the horrors of political inaction... The only crime equaling inhumanity is the crime of indifference, silence, and forgetting.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Humanitarian conference, 2010
Doctors must bear witness to suffering and speak out, because indifference is a crime equal to the atrocities itself.
In simple terms: Witness and speak against indifference.
Key Takeaway
Speak up for the vulnerable.
Themes
ethics
human rights
responsibility
Mood
reflective
urgent
Type
ethical
advocacy
When to use this quote
- clinical practice
- NGO advocacy
- public testimony
Key Concepts
moral duty
political inaction
witnessing
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you bear witness safely?
- What barriers prevent speaking out?
A Different Perspective
Silence can protect perpetrators; speaking may be risky.
![“I couldn't ever act or think on behalf of what my father [[Albert Camus]] would have said or done. He's an artist, he considers himself an artist, and so he takes on the responsibility of speaking for those who are not given the means or the opportunity.” quote by Catherine Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/872/catherine-camus-12238_art_i-couldn-t-ever-act-or-think-on-behalf-o_48718.jpg)
![“[P]rogress, however, has not sufficiently infiltrated the Interior Ministry, affording protection to those who participated in the Bytyqi murders and other egregious Milosevic-era crimes.” quote by Avis Bohlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/05d/avis-bohlen-84451_affording_p-rogress-however-has-not-sufficiently-i_6893.jpg)