Why do state crimes go unreported

States usually create the laws of their countries and governments can break their own laws. This led Penny Green and Tony Ward in 2005 to define state crime as "illegal or deviant activity perpetrated by or with the complicity of state agencies". The genocide in Rwanda is an example.

Human rights are the challenge of changing norms and values. Wanting to apply Western standards to all societies would be a difficult argument for many individuals. It does not seem acceptable to argue that women should have fewer rights in Saudi Arabia than in the United Kingdom.

State crimes are not reported because states and the government do not always share the same values and norms.