Monday, December 28, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Can the Victims of Terror Speak? The silence of HRCP Statistics
The sheer silence on the victims and survivors of terrorists bomb attacks in Pakistan is evidenced by the lack of statistical and biographical information on the victims of terror. Even Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, (HRCP), the prime agency for the protection of human rights in Pakistan does not cover the violations of human rights including deaths and injuries of innocent civilians, caused by terrorists attacks. The bulk of statistics are gathered around the following 9 subjects.
- Burnings, Corporate Punishment, Deatn Penalty, Domestic Violance, Kidnapping, Killings, Sectarian Violance, Sexual Harrassment, Suicide
- The nearest one can get to human rights violations caused by terrorist attacks are the statistics on the victims of Sectarian Violence in Pakistan.
The summary of HRCP statistics for the year 2009, from January to October is as follows:
Killed: 321
Killed: 321
Wounded: 748.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
AIRRA statistics on Terrorist Violence and Victims in Pakistan
Aryana Institute for Regional Research and Advocacy (AIRRA)
AIRRA is a non-profit organization which has been envisioned to remain independent,both ideologically and organizationally,and is meant to carry out scientific and rational studies for policy recommendations to countries in the region (South and Central Asia), international community and development organizations.The geographical focus for research will initially remain to be FATA, NWFP, Northern Baluchistan in Pakistan, and South and Eastern Afghanistan because of convenience and easy accessibility. |
AIRRA shall focus thematically to understand and recommend for human security, social development, regional cooperation and an environment free of extremism and terrorism that would probably usher in an era of pluralism, equal economic and political opportunities, rule of law, and individual and collective empowerment for the people of South and Central Asia within their state institutional frameworks in consonance with nature. |
Aryana Institute of Regional Studies and Advocacy issued a list of widows in two villages of Swat. More of such lists are needed for all whole of Pakistan before any rehabilitation work can begin on sustainable basis. In addition, a number of other statistics and surveys maps the situation.
Also see the following:
Also see the following:
List of Bomb blasts in Pakistan, 2000-2009 |
Saturday, December 12, 2009
SAIR information: The eclipsed scale of Terrorist Violence in Pakistan
A think tank based in India, South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) brings out regular assessments, data and news briefs on terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on related economic, political, and social issues, in the South Asian region.
The following information on the reported deaths due to terrorist violence in Pakistan is drawn from SAIR website. A general reader's discretion is advised. We should build equally credible sources of information for public dissemination in order to verify the statistics provided below.
Casualties of Terrorist Violence in Pakistan
Sectarian Violence in Pakistan (1989-2009)
Major incidents of terrorist violence in Pakistan, 1988-2009
Bomb Blasts in Karachi, 1987-2004
Suicide Attacks in Islamabad
Suicide Attacks in Rawalpindi
Sectarian attacks in mosques in Pakistan (2002-2008)
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Moon Market shopkeepers demand compensation
The UN had declared the victims of terrorists attacks as the most neglected victims in the world today. This is true for Pakistan, where despite more than decade old history of terrorist bomb attacks in the cities, there is little recognition of their significance as urban disasters. They are erased from public memory faster than natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. Moreover, forced displacements as a result of military warfare, such as in NWFP, gained world wide attention as well as international aid. Whereas, the victims of urban disasters such as terrorist attacks are compensated largely on grounds of political expediency but not as matters of public policy.
The response of victims of Moon Market tragedy underscores the need for evolving effective mechanisms for managing the process of compensation and rehabilitation work, to be carried out on long term basis. Financial compensations will not last long, more sustainable ways of offering help in medical, psychological, educational and employment related matters should be developed.
Daily Times
* Traders’ union president says losses estimated at Rs 30 million so far
* Stall owner says ‘nearly impossible’ for him to restart business on his own
By Rana Tanveer
LAHORE: Around 150 shops, including roadside stalls, were destroyed in the twin blasts at Moon Market causing a loss of around Rs 35 million to more than 160 shopkeepers, Moon Market Traders Union President Abdul Jabbar said on Wednesday.
Secretary General of the traders’ union, Arif Siddiqui, said they had registered 109 stallholders and 52 shopkeepers so far while around 25 shopkeepers have not been registered as yet. He said the losses could increase once all the shopkeepers had been registered.
Meanwhile, the blasts have burdened several small-scale shopkeepers with heavy loans after their shops were destroyed completely and they are now relying on the government to compensate their loss.
Some stall owners expressed helplessness while talking to Daily Times, saying they had recently started their business by taking loans from relatives. They said their goods, makeshift stalls and carts had been completely destroyed in the blast.
A toy stall owner said his business had burnt into ashes along with Rs 1 million that he had collected from a monthly committee from several traders of the area and was supposed to give it to one of them on the next day of the blast.
He said he did not know how he would be able to return the amount as he did not even own his house and his business had also been destroyed. To a question, he said the government could compensate his loss but no one would believe he had lost Rs 1 million in cash.
Impossible: Kamran Ahmed, a small-scale shopkeeper selling sweaters, said he had started his business only two months ago, adding that the day the blasts happened was his first day at work after Eid holidays. He said he had no source of income besides selling sweaters on a cart, adding it was nearly impossible to restart the business. Ahmed said he had already borrowed money from his brother-in-law to start the business, adding that there was no hope except the government’s help for earning for his family.
Home | Lahore
Govt to reconstruct Moon Market, compensate victims
The steps of the Punjab Government are laudable and must be strengthened by financial contributions from private sector as well as civil society. Now, the real task for a citizen group is to be able to monitor the process of compensations from public announcements to the actual disbursement to increase the transparency of the process.
Daily Times, Thursday, December 10, 2009, LAHORE: The Punjab government announced Rs 300,000 in compensation for the families of victims of the Moon Market blasts, a private TV channel reported on Wednesday. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters that the government would bear thue costs of their medical treatment. He also announced the government’s decision to reconstruct the market and announced a comprehensive survey to assess the damage incurred. daily times monitor
Daily Times, Thursday, December 10, 2009, LAHORE: The Punjab government announced Rs 300,000 in compensation for the families of victims of the Moon Market blasts, a private TV channel reported on Wednesday. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters that the government would bear thue costs of their medical treatment. He also announced the government’s decision to reconstruct the market and announced a comprehensive survey to assess the damage incurred. daily times monitor
The Need for Emergence Response to Bomb blasts in Pakistan
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The bomb blasts in Pakistan have become all too frequent to have a shock value any more. Now, not the news of the blasts but the body count of killed and injured is what makes terrorist disaster a news on the national broadcast. Although we are all scared of being a victim to a bomb blast, there is a general social apathy and public indifference towards mitigating the traged. Despite more than 1,500 people killed and even more injured in the bomb blasts this year, still there are no signs of national concern raised for the victims of bomb blasts either by the vibrant civil society or the democratic government of PPP. The human costs of the war on terror have not be taken into account and the institutional arrangements for disaster preparedness and mitigation hardly exists.
President Zardari to seek personal interest in assistance package for victims of terrorism
BISP directed to devise assistance package for terror victims
Pakistan Times Special Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has directed the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) to devise a comprehensive assistance package for the victims of terrorism.
He also advised that the assistance of professional bodies running charities may also be sought to make BISP more effective and also to attract funds for the Program from various international donors.
The President said this while chairing a meeting in which presentations on Benazir Income Support Program and NADRA were given to him in the Presidency on Friday.
The presentations were attended among others by Minister for Labour and Manpower Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Minister for Interior Rehman A. Malik, Finance Minister Shoukat Tarin, Minister for Health Mir Ejaz Jhakrani, Ms Hina Rabbani Khar, Secretary-General Salman Farooqui and spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar.
She said that through Emergency Relief Package, an amount of Rs. 28 million has been paid to 3965 families of FATA and Bajaur whereas Rs. 26 million paid to the 3729 earthquake affected families of Balochistan.
It may also be recalled that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a contribution of $ 85 million to BISP during her visit to Pakistan.
Babar said that the world community recognizes and appreciates the utility and usefulness of the Program and the way it is being managed in a transparent manner above any party affiliations or any influence whatsoever.
Pakistan Times Special Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has directed the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) to devise a comprehensive assistance package for the victims of terrorism.He also advised that the assistance of professional bodies running charities may also be sought to make BISP more effective and also to attract funds for the Program from various international donors.
The President said this while chairing a meeting in which presentations on Benazir Income Support Program and NADRA were given to him in the Presidency on Friday.
The presentations were attended among others by Minister for Labour and Manpower Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Minister for Interior Rehman A. Malik, Finance Minister Shoukat Tarin, Minister for Health Mir Ejaz Jhakrani, Ms Hina Rabbani Khar, Secretary-General Salman Farooqui and spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar.
She said that through Emergency Relief Package, an amount of Rs. 28 million has been paid to 3965 families of FATA and Bajaur whereas Rs. 26 million paid to the 3729 earthquake affected families of Balochistan.
It may also be recalled that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a contribution of $ 85 million to BISP during her visit to Pakistan.
Babar said that the world community recognizes and appreciates the utility and usefulness of the Program and the way it is being managed in a transparent manner above any party affiliations or any influence whatsoever.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Traders of Moon Market Commemorate the Victims
Candles lit to commemorate Moon Market Victims, LAHORE: The traders at Liberty Chowke in Lahore lit candles in commemoration of the victims who lost their lives amid Lahore twin blasts occurred in famous Moon Market, Geo news reported on Wednesday.
According to sources, the participants, on the occasion, vowed to face the menace of terrorism with iron hands.
The candlelight commemoration gathering was organized by MM Alam Road Traders Association (MMARTA), which was attended by residents and traders hailing from Liberty Market and Hafeez Center who lighted candles to pay homage to deceased victims of Moon Market twin blasts.
Attendees also raised slogans against extremism meanwhile, member Punjab Assembly Dr. Saeed Elahi said the Moon Market tragedy has led to the unity of nation and will ultimately stamped out terrorism form the country once for all.
He said the government of Punjab has devised foolproof strategy to eradicate extremism but however, it is not an easy job to deal with terrorists.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Network of Associations of Victims of Terrorism, European Union.
The following introduction and web links to the EU Network of Association of Victims of Terrorism, can help us to formulate a set of goals and objectives for a similar networks in Pakistan and South Asia.
NAVT INTRODUCTION
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Coping with a terrorist attacks: What victims and survivors could do?
How to take care of and help yourself after a disaster.
Copyright 2007 © Network of Associations of Victims of Terrorism.
Copyright 2007 © Network of Associations of Victims of Terrorism.
The emotional effect caused by the recent terrorist attacks can affect all kinds of people: the injured, families of those who died, friends, rescue and healthcare personnel, witnesses of the event, volunteers, journalists, and in general many people who feel affected by the tragedy, even despite having been far from the place. Those who have witnessed the event or have lost loved ones are most exposed to more intense reactions and the people who found about and saw the consequences of the explosions on the television may also feel very irritated. Common reactions after traumatic events such as this terrorist attack include feeling afraid, sad, horrified, powerless, angry, overwhelmed, confused, absent, emotionally numb or disoriented.
Those affected may suffer from nightmares or depressive thoughts or “photographic” images which suddenly come to mind. Younger people may react by becoming irritated or seeming absent. All of these are normal responses to stressful events. With the help of family, friends and colleagues, and in general with the solidarity of society as a whole, most people gradually improve with time.
What can be done to deal with this situation?
o Spend more time with other people. Facing up to times of stress is easier when people help each other.
o If you think it is helpful, speak to other people about how you feel. You must be willing to listen to others who need to talk about how they feel.
o Recover your daily routine. Old habits can be very comforting.
o Take time to grieve and cry if necessary. To feel better after a time you have to let your feelings out, instead of repressing or hiding them.
o Ask your family, friends, spiritual advisers or any social resource for support and help.
o Participate in or join support groups.
o Set yourself small goals in order to overcome big problems. Do things one at a time, instead of trying to do everything at once.
o Set yourself small goals in order to overcome big problems. Do things one at a time, instead of trying to do everything at once.
o Do not neglect eating, and take time to walk, stretch, do exercise, and relax even if it is only for a few minutes a day.
o Make sure you get enough sleep and rest. In times of great stress more sleep than usual is required.
o Do something that makes you feel good, such as bathing with hotwater, going for a walk, sitting in the sun or stroking a pet.
o If you are trying to do too much, try to do less, leaving for later or just missing out some things that are not absolutely necessary.
o Find something positive and altruistic to do such as give blood or donate money to help the victims of the disaster, collaborate with professionals and volunteers who are dealing with the consequences of the terrorist attack.
o Escape from the tension of the event: don’t watch so much news, switch off the television and find distraction in doing something you like.
How to act with children.
o Let them know you understand how they feel.
o Tell them that they are really safe.
o Maintain the normal routine. o Do not let them see many shocking images of the attack.
When to seek more help.
Some people may need additional help in order to overcome the psychological consequences of a traumatic event. The people directly affected by the tragedy, children and adolescents, people who have experienced other traumas and people with emotional problems are very pre-disposed to needing professional help. A person may need additional help if one month after the event, or even before that if the person is suffering a great deal or feels very incapacitated, the person:
o Still fees very shocked or afraid, almost all the time.
o Acts very differently compared to how he or she acted before the trauma.
o Cannot work, study, take care of the children or the house.
o Has worse personal relationships.
o Has worse personal relationships.
o Takes drugs or drinks a lot.
o Feels very nervous or has a lot of nightmares.
o Cannot stop thinking about the terrorist attack.
o Is unable to enjoy life in any way.
Pakistan Prime Minister’s special fund for victims of terrorism established
Associated Press of Pakistan, May 2009
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ISLAMABAD, May 11 (APP): The Government has decided to establish a Fund titled “Prime Minister’s Special Fund for Victims of Terrorism” for providing relief in the wake of current conflict in Dir, Swat, Bajaur and Waziristan Agency of NWFP and FATA. According to a statement issued by the Finance Division here Monday, the fund would be used to mobilize resources and render helping hand in the relief efforts to the affected people. All proceeds on account and payment into the aforesaid Fund will be received at all branches of State Bank of Pakistan, All Treasuries and Branches of National Bank of Pakistan and all other Scheduled Banks. The Fund may receive donations from both domestic, international donors and contributions from abroad which will be received at all the branches of above referred banks where such branches are existing. In other foreign countries contributions will be received at Pakistan Missions and remitted to the State Bank of Pakistan which would prescribe necessary procedure for their accounting. All proceeds received in the name of the fund will be credited to the public account of the federal government under major object G 12, special relief deposit fund minor object G 121, relief funds detailed object (New) G.12135 Prime Minister’s Special Fund for Victims of Terrorism. Accounts of the fund will be maintained by Accountant General of Pakistan, Revenues, Islamabad and will be administered by the Cabinet Division through F.A. Organization. |
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sherpao demands compensation for bomb blast, operation victims in NWFP
Daily Times, PESHAWAR: Pakistan People’s Party Sherpao (PPP-S) Chairman Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Sunday asked government for early compensation to victims of blasts and military operation. Addressing a press conference, he said the government had so far failed to compensate the blast and military operation victims and further delay would devoid government of public sympathies. He condemned terrorist attacks in the provincial capital and other parts of country and asked the government to adopt extra security and rescue measures to reduce public causalities in such attacks. He said masses were backing the military operation against militants and if the government failed to kept their sympathy, it would turn into anger. He said there should be political input along with military operation and tribesmen from Waziristan, Bajaur and Mohmand agencies be taken into confidence. He said it was necessary to make civil administration in Swat and other militancy-hit areas effective once they were cleared from militants. He criticized the federal government for not releasing Rs 10 billion in the head of net hydel profit to the provincial government as promised by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani. staff report
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C11%5C16%5Cstory_16-11-2009_pg7_15
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C11%5C16%5Cstory_16-11-2009_pg7_15
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Pakistan Government Response to Victims of Terrorism
Pakistan Package for Victims of Terrorism Under Study, ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to work out an assistance package under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) for victims of terrorism.
Presiding over a meeting on the BISP and National Database Registration Authority on Friday, President Asif Ali Zardari said that assistance of professionals running charity organisations might also be sought to make the programme more effective and attract funds from international donors to help people affected by terrorism.
Presidency’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar told reporters that the president had appreciated extension of the BISP to Gilgit-Baltistan where more than 50,000 deserving families were being helped by the programme.
During her recent visit, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had announced $85 million for the BISP.
‘The world community recognises and appreciates the usefulness of the programme and the way it is being managed,’ the spokesman said.
The president stressed that success of such initiatives required complete transparency and impartiality in the process of selection of beneficiaries and disbursement.
BISP chairperson Farzana Raja informed the meeting that cash grants, Waseela-e-Haq, poverty surveys, Benazir Smart Card, mobile banking, health/accident insurance, vocational training and emergency relief packages were major components of the programme.
‘The transparency in cash grants is being ensured through functional separation mechanism and individual payment mechanism details are available on BISP website,’ she said.
Ms Raja said that under the Emergency Relief Package, Rs28 million had been paid to 3,965 families hit by terrorism in Fata and Bajaur. An amount of Rs26 million had been paid to 3,729 families affected by earthquake in Balochistan, she added.
She said that an agreement had been signed with the United Bank Limited to make payments to the people who had been displaced from Swat and Malakand.
An amount of Rs3.82 billion, she added, would be distributed among them by Dec 5. Nadra chairman Ali Arshad Hakeem said the authority was engaged in various projects and also assisting some foreign countries.
The projects include machine readable passports, identity cards and civil registration, electronic and highway toll collection, IDP registration and cash disbursement, kiosk and e-Sahulat and BISP.
He said that Nadra was assisting Sudan, Kenya, Bangladesh and Nigeria and the UNHCR in biometric refugee registration system.
The authority, he said, was also working with the BISP and the World Bank in developing a poverty database in the country based on the bank’s poverty scorecard which employed proxy mean testing based on 13 variables.
The Hidden Aftermath: Peshawar's Bomb blast victims
PESHAWAR--The huge bomb blast in the western Pakistani city of Peshawar on 29 October which left 117 people dead, many more injured and an unknown number of trauma victims.
According to the New Delhi-based Institute of Conflict Management, the blast was the latest in violence that claimed 6,715 lives in Pakistan in 2008 (2,155 civilians, 3,906 “terrorists” and 654 security forces personnel) and at least 650 so far in 2009.
“I fell to the ground with the impact, and could not see anything for some minutes. All I heard were screams and cries for help,” said Muhammad Idrees, 40, who sells bracelets at the market. Many of those who died were women and children out shopping.
Most of the dead and injured were taken to the government-run Lady Reading Hospital, the largest public-sector medical facility in Peshawar. Doctors at the hospital said they struggled to cope.
“The thing is no hospital in the world is equipped to deal with the kind of situation you see when over 300 seriously injured people are suddenly brought to a hospital. Naturally problems occur,” Hamid Afridi, head of Lady Reading Hospital, told IRIN.
With 86 consultants and over 800 other doctors available, Afridi said they were not lacking staff and that support from nurses and medical students living on the premises was at hand, but there was a need for “more formalized trauma care”.
While the hospital has a large accident and emergency care department, staffed by 62 doctors and headed by a trauma care specialist, “we need even more expertise given the situation we now face”, Afridi said.
Panic attacks
Hundreds of people who were not injured are psychologically affected. “I suffered panic attacks for days, even though I was not injured in the blast but just heard the enormous boom some distance away,” said Azhar Khan, 30.
Adnan Hussain, 14, lost all his immediate family members in the blast - including his parents, four sisters and a three-year-old brother. He suffers a far deeper sense of loss. “He weeps when he is alone, so we try to keep him busy,” Adnan’s paternal uncle, Ayaz Khan, said. The family - from the town of Rawalpindi in Punjab Province - were shopping in Peshawar when the bomb struck.
Others suffer in different ways: “My son was a shopkeeper at a stall selling clothes in this market. I know he is dead, but it would give me some sense of mental peace if I could see his body,” Ameera Bibi, 60, told IRIN. Accompanied by her daughters, Bibi still regularly visits the site of her only son’s death.
“The survivors of such incidents need counselling, but there is not much awareness of the need. More and more victims of terrorism are, however, now seeking help and that is a good sign,” said psychologist Asif Khan.
Posted by Hal Newman • November 14, 2009 •
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Government Compensations to the Victims of International Islamic University, Islamabad
International Islamic University should be acknowledged for honouring the victims of terrorist bomb blasts in the University few months. The university should develop long term strategies for protecting the lives and livelihood of the families of those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks. For instance, a special category of scholarships should be established for the victims of terror, for taking care of the students from school to the university.
Read the news report below:
Compensation announced for IIU victims
Islamabad, Nov 12: The government has announced compensation of Rs0.3 million each for those who lost their lives in twin suicide bombs on October 20 on the premises of the International Islamic University (IIU). Around 40 persons, who sustained injuries in the bomb blasts, would get Rs0.1 million each, says a press release issued by the IIU here on Wednesday.
An amount of one million rupees has already been announced for Pervaiz Masih, who sacrificed his life to save hundreds of female students who were present in the cafeteria when the blast occurred. "Now the government should focus on erecting boundary walls around the IIU to ensure security of students," it said. The news
Read the news report below:
International Islamic university victims compensation
Compensation announced for IIU victims
Islamabad, Nov 12: The government has announced compensation of Rs0.3 million each for those who lost their lives in twin suicide bombs on October 20 on the premises of the International Islamic University (IIU). Around 40 persons, who sustained injuries in the bomb blasts, would get Rs0.1 million each, says a press release issued by the IIU here on Wednesday.
An amount of one million rupees has already been announced for Pervaiz Masih, who sacrificed his life to save hundreds of female students who were present in the cafeteria when the blast occurred. "Now the government should focus on erecting boundary walls around the IIU to ensure security of students," it said. The news
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Pakistani participates in Global Survivors of Terrorism get together in Jordan
Major (Ret.) Tahir Wadood Malik, a survivor whose wife was killed in the 2009 United Nation World Food Program bombing in Islamabad is one of those who participated in the Global Survivors Network gathering in Jordan. He is also one of the key supporters of GSN. You can find more about Mr Malik at his blog: http://gsntahir.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/i-am-a-survivor-of-terrorism-went-to-amman-jordan-to-meet-survivors-like-me/
Please visit the facebook group of the Global Survivors Network at the following address:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=202548629609
Please read the press report of the event.
Marking Jordan’s 9/11, global survivors of terrorism speak out By Taylor Luck
AMMAN - Carie Lemack said she looks forward to working with “the best group of people I never wanted to know”.
Lemack, who lost her mother in the September 11 attacks in New York, travelled to Amman to mark “Jordan’s 9/11”.
Together with Ashraf Khaled, who lost his father and in-laws when his wedding was attacked four years ago, Lemack on Monday launched the first international advocacy group and support forum for those affected by terrorism.
In an event marking the fourth anniversary of the Amman hotel bombings, 18 people from different continents, cultures and backgrounds, whose lives have been irreversibly transformed by violence across the world, formed the Global Survivors Network.
“Disease, natural disasters, fate do not discriminate. But terrorism does. It discriminates against the innocent. We, in Jordan, know this firsthand,” Her Majesty Queen Rania said in a statement marking the occasion.
The Queen described the triple bombings of the Radisson SAS, Grand Hyatt and Days Inn hotels, which killed and injured scores of people, as “horrific and cowardly brutality”.
“The perpetrators of this ideology think that through violence and destruction, they can erode the ties that bind the nations of the civilised world. But they are wrong,” she said.
“The more they kill, the more they blow up and tear down, the more they fortify our determination to stand together for security and freedom. I am proud that the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is leading the way in this effort,” she said.
Queen Rania highlighted the Global Survivors Network as a tool to bring together “those concerned or affected by the scourge of terrorism”, noting that the organisation provides information, support and solidarity.
“...It [the network] sends a powerful message of resilience: If global terrorist attacks have achieved anything, they have made us stronger, more resolute and more united against extremism and for peace,” the Queen said.
Lemack, who was an early advocate of the 9/11 Commission and the implementation of its recommendations in the US, said the global network strives to be an international movement away from politics.
“For so many people, terrorism is just a one-day event. 9/11. 7/7. 3/11. But it is so much more than one day - it has life-long and generational ramifications and we need to stop it,” Lemack said.
The media often focus on the immediate carnage of terrorist attacks, she said, spending days analysing and profiling perpetrators while leaving survivors as statistics.
The global network comes as part of an overall effort to “reclaim the narrative” of terrorism, and put faces to each statistic to dissuade the future targeting of civilians.
“People want to hear stories where everything comes out OK, but this is not often the case. They may be uncomfortable and unfortunate, but these are stories that are important to talk about,” she said.
Gill Hicks took matters into her own hands to transform herself from “victimised by terrorism” to a “survivor of terrorism”.
The former architect lost both her legs in the July 7, 2007 bombings in London. Through the traumatic experience, Hicks said she saw “the best in humanity”.
“When they discovered my body, covered in ash, all they knew was ‘one unidentified, estimated female’. Those response teams worked their hardest to save my life because I was a human being, without knowing or caring my race, my religion or how much money I have. That is a pretty powerful message,” she said.
Shortly following the attacks, Hicks established Making A Difference for peace (MAD) to develop proactive peace efforts and bridge cultural divides in the UK and elsewhere.
She expressed hope of promoting the stories of survivors to prevent future terrorist attacks.
“No one should have to go through this,” she said.
The sense of loss is all too recent for retired Major Tahir Wadood Malik, who lost his wife Gul Rukh Tahir in the bombing of the UN World Food Programme office in Pakistan last month.
“I dropped my wife off at 7:45am, told her that I would pick her up at 5:00pm. At 2:30 in the afternoon I came to claim a dead body,” he said.
“I’ve fought two wars... and fought counterinsurgency. I thought I knew death, but I wasn’t prepared for this,” he said.
The WFP representative in Pakistan told him of the planned meeting in Amman, and after giving it a thought, Malik said he decided to make the journey to Amman to learn from other survivors how to live with loss and become empowered.
Noting recent attacks, such as in Peshawar and Islamabad, he stressed that each victim affects a whole family, creating hundreds of Pakistani survivors each week.
“What do you do about it? Keeping quiet is no longer an option; we have to talk,” he said.
Medical services, social and psychological support for terror victims in Pakistan are lacking, he said, adding he hopes to use the network to reach out to people in his native country.
Dr Habiba Rahim Shah said she still receives death threats at her home in Swat Valley, where two of her uncles and one of her cousins were killed in a series of attacks.
“My uncle was killed for talking about peace in a mosque following prayers. The Taliban are going home to home looking for reasons to kill,” Shah told The Jordan Times.
Due to the violence, she has not returned home in over a year, and continues her work in Islamabad. With death threats piling up at her house in Swat Valley, she said she is beginning to fear for her life in the Pakistani capital.
Febby Firmansyah Isran suffered burns over 40 per cent of his body in the 2003 bombing of the Jakarta JW Marriot. Although the physical wounds have healed, the mental and emotional scars remain, he said, particularly in the wake of the recent Jakarta bombing at the same hotel earlier this year.
“When I saw the news, it just all started coming back. This just has to stop,” he said, noting that he hopes to use the network to create more awareness in Indonesia.
“People only want to help when you are in the hospital. Once you leave, you are on your own as a survivor,” he said.
“The truth is our only power to stop this violence,” said Henry Kessy, who was seriously injured in the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Tanzania.
Yesterday marked an emotional reunion for Kessy, who said he had the chance to meet with colleagues who previously served in the US embassy in Kenya and are now posted in Amman.
The network is actively looking for survivors of terrorism from Egypt, Iraq and around the world.
Through its website, www.globalsurvivors.org, which is to be translated into Arabic, the organisation aims to link survivors with NGOs, potential access to medical and psychiatric support as well as toolkits and guidelines to provide support for those affected by terrorist attacks.
“Nobody can help survivors more than survivors themselves,” Khaled noted.
Also part of the network, a documentary is being developed to follow the survivors’ journeys, detailing their daily lives and the lasting impacts of terrorism.
Filming on the project, which is being carried out by Moxie Firecracker Films, is expected to start by the end of the year in Amman, Bali and elsewhere, Lemack indicated, expressing hope that their stories will make people think twice about supporting the killing of innocent people for political means.
“If we can prevent one person from ever having to join the network, then it has all been a success,” Lemack said.
Also during yesterday’s event, presided by HRH Prince Raad deputising for Queen Rania, survivors along with ambassadors and officials representing the US, the UK, Spain, Pakistan, Australia, the EU, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iraq among others planted trees around the Amman Martyrs Memorial.
Jordan Times, Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
British victims of terrorism abroad could get £1m payout
Britons caught up in terror attacks abroad could get up to £1million in compensation from the Government, under plans revealed today.
Ministers are considering setting up a fund for those injured in atrocities overseas. It would be the first time British victims receive such payouts.
The £250,000 cap for those in attacks on British soil could also be lifted. But campaigners fear the Government will go back on a commitment to make payments retrospective. Those injured in the Bali and the Mumbai attacks could be left without a penny.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Home Secretary Alan Johnson are said to be in favour of retrospective payments but face opposition from some of the Cabinet. A Whitehall source said: "We want to sort this."
Labour MP Ian McCartney said: "You cannot have two classes of citizen, where as soon as you put a toenail over the English Channel you are denied rights." Will Pike, 29, left unable to walk after the Mumbai bombings last year, said: "The overall cost would be £20million which, in the grand scheme of the war on terrorism, is not a lot."
Sunday, September 13, 2009
CVIC: Campaign for Innocent VIctims in Conflict
Campaign for Innocent VIctims in Conflict is fighting for recognition and help for civilians who are caught in the crossfire of armed conflict.Every day, stories of civilian suffering appear in the news—from Iraq and Afghanistan, to Gaza, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. You can imagine who they are. For without their injuries and loved ones killed in the blink of an eye, they had lives we would recognize as similar to our own, with all the joys and trials of everyday life. But too often, these ordinary civilians are left to mourn in the wake of tragedy with no recognition and little help to recover.
Avoiding civilians is always the goal, yet we know that harm occurs in war. There is no official obligation for warring parties to do anything but walk away from devastated communities. CIVIC is changing that status quo by challenging warring parties to recognize and help innocent civilians harmed the world over. Our message is simple but groundbreaking: help where you have harmed
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