Why does genocide require intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group?

In international criminal law, the requirement of intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group is the defining characteristic that distinguishes genocide from other serious offenses, such as crimes against humanity.1

While crimes against humanity involve widespread or systematic attacks against a civilian population, they do not require a specific intent to target a group based on its identity. In contrast, genocide is defined by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as acts committed with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a protected group "as such".12

This intent is central because the crime is directed against the group’s existence; individuals are targeted specifically because they belong to that group. By mandating this specific intent, the law recognizes that genocide is a unique assault on the collective identity and survival of a people, rather than merely a series of violent acts.213