Supporting neglected victims of terrorism

Heru Susetyo
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PREMIUM

Jakarta / Fri, June 14, 2019 / 09:55 am

Supporting neglected victims of terrorism

In mourning: Residents attend a candlelight vigil in Surakarta, Central Java, to pray for victims of church suicide bombings in Surabaya, East Java, and terror attacks in areas across Indonesia. (Antara/Maulana Surya)

Terror attacks occur everywhere in the world, the latest in New Zealand on March 15 and in Sri Lanka on April 21, killing hundreds of victims. However, law enforcers as well as the public pay attention mostly to the offenders, not to the victims of terrorism. Of course people want to know who the criminals are — at the risk of them gaining publicity. The most horrific example was the attack on two churches in Christchurch, New Zealand, which killed 50 people and injured many others. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern rightly refused to name the perpetrator who had filmed his crime and shared it in real time. Far fewer people continue to be concerned with the victims and survivors, even though the death toll in Sri Lanka reached over 200, not to mention those severely injured; all eyes focused mainly on the perpetrators, the Islamic State group or anyone claiming responsibility for...