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In many countries, such as France and Germany , civil courage is enforced by law; this means that if a crime is committed in public, the public is obliged to act, either by alerting the authorities, or by intervening in the conflict. If the crime is committed in a private environment, those that witness the crime are either to report it, or try to stop it. THE BYSTANDER EFFECT The death of Kitty Genovese in 1964, Queens, New York, is often cited as a classic example of civil-courage failure. Some accounts allege that during a half-hour long attack, Kitty Genovese was raped and murdered in full view of thirty-eight witnessess, while none interfered, although accounts differ. None of the alleged 38 witnesses claim to have witnessed the entire attack, many claim that they were not aware that Genovese was in danger, and some shouted at the attacker and called authorities. Criminologists argue that such passivity is a result of "big-city life," cultural emphasis on individualism, or a common expectation that "someone else" will intervene. Others believe that simple cowardice is another explanation of passivity. See also: Courage AWARDS The Civil Courage Prize is owned by a private foundation which awards the Civil Courage Prize to civilians who have proven themselves in difficult situations. The recipient of the prize is awarded 50,000 US dollars. EXTERNAL LINKS
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