Srebrenica Memorial Day is a day to stop, to think and to remember the victims of the Srebrenica genocide. I have met with a number of survivors of the Srebrenica genocide, including Mother of Srebrenica, women whose sons an husbands were so really taken from them in July 1995. As a wife and a mother, I will be thinking of them in particular on the 11th July.
What happened in Srebrenica carries the message for us all that hatred can take hold of any place, at any time – even at the end of the 20th Century on European soil. With that fact in our minds, and the Mothers of Srebrenica in our hearts, we must stand together and pledge to make sure this never happens again.
We can all learn lessons from the courage of genocide survivors who carry on and seek justice, whilst courageously sharing their stories with others so that we can bear witness to one of the darkest periods of history.
It is especially fitting that Remembering Srebrenica’s theme for this year is ‘Acts of Courage’. Remembering Srebrenica plays a vital role in reminding us that it is everyone’s duty to stand up to hatred and speak out against intolerance. Through the work of more than 1,100 dedicated Community Champions across the country, Remembering Srebrenica is helping to build better, safer and stronger communities in the UK.
Establishing Remembering Srebrenica, and securing government support for it, was one of my proudest achievements during my time in government and it is a pleasure to continue to support this valuable work.
