As we mark Srebrenica Memorial Day it seems incomprehensible that just 25 years ago such an inhumane genocide took place on our continent.
Described by the United Nations as the, “worst crime on European soil since the Second World War”, the killings at Srebrenica took the lives of over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys and must never be forgotten.
While it is right we remember those victims and their families who so cruelly lost their loved ones we must also use the anger and the agony that crimes like Srebrenica bring to help us find the courage and conviction to stand up and say never again.
Unfortunately in many parts of the world we continue to see human rights abuses and persecution but Srebrenica must teach us that we all have a moral obligation to speak out and act whenever and wherever people are targeted on the basis of their religion or race.
Failure to do so only enables hatred to flourish.
So let’s use this day and the memory of Srebrenica to not only remember those we have lost but to educate our future generations, bring our communities together and renew our efforts to tackle hatred and prejudice wherever they lie.
