Source: AUN News
Numerous innocent persons are harmed and killed due to terrorist activities every year. Despite widespread media coverage, those impacted frequently have trouble accessing essential health, psychological, social, and financial services.
“There are thousands of victims of terrorism and their families scattered in all regions of the world, struggling in their solitude with the scars of trauma and injury,” reported Laura Dolci, a victim of the 2003 Canal Hotel Bombing in Iraq, which resulted in the deaths of 22 UN staff members and the wounding of over 100 others.
To show that the victims’ status is respected and acknowledged, it is crucial to remember and pay tribute to terrorist casualties. The Day this year falls on the same day as the world is emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, a public health emergency that is making terrorism victims’ already tough lives much more difficult.
The subject for this year’s Day was “Memories,” chosen after consultation with the victims; memories bind people together and symbolize our shared humanity. Regarding terrorism, memories of loss and suffering unite communities, promote idea sharing, and result in focused solutions.
Terrorist victims
A crucial component of the UN’s global counterterrorism strategy is its emphasis on the care of terrorist victims. To foster international cooperation, stop violent extremism, and defend human rights, victims of terrorism are crucial.
The UN General Assembly noticed the significant role terrorism victims play in formulating targeted measures in the 2021 review of this Strategy. In the resolution passed following this study, Member States were urged to create an extensive national support program for terrorism victims, particularly historically persecuted populations.
The Secretary-General stated in his final remarks on the purpose of the UN that it is to mobilize “Member States to offer the legal, medical, emotional, or financial support they [victims of terrorism] need to heal and live with dignity.”
Similarly, Ms. Dolci stated, “helping terrorist victims is not a charitable act; it should be a global commitment, grounded in States’ obligations and actively supported by the United Nations.”
Analysis by: Advocacy Unified Network
