Victims/survivors of terrorism (both people who have been targets of an attack and those who have lost a relative) are involuntary experts on the harm and suffering caused by violent extremism.
The RAN VoT Working Group's chief objective is to maintain the network of organisations of victims/survivors of terrorism and to organise remembrance ceremonies each year on 11 March, the European Day of Remembrance of Victims of Terrorism.
Furthermore, RAN VoT will transmit the voices of the victims/survivors of terrorism as part of prevention efforts to counter radicalisation.
Publications
Design competition
Students from all around the EU have the opportunity to showcase their talents in a Design Competition for the European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism. The winning design will be used to promote the next Remembrance Day on 11 March 2022.
More information about the competition
Handbook
This handbook is a compilation of experiences shared during the RAN VVT meetings held from 2012 to 2015. All victims, victim organisations, practitioners and experts present at these meetings contributed to this handbook.
Handbook: Voices of victims of terrorism (also available in: Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.)
EU Handbook on victims of terrorism
The EU Handbook on victims of terrorism, produced by the EU Centre of Expertise for Victims of Terrorism is published by the Commission. The Handbook aims to assist in the practical implementation of the EU legislation on the rights of victims of terrorism. It is based on lessons learned from responses to previous terrorist attacks. The Handbook is accompanied by a separate Annex, which focuses on useful, additional information (including elements not covered by the EU legislation).
Read the handbook (also available in German, French and Spanish)
Videos
Since 2011, RAN has worked with victims of terrorism. RAN’s Victims of Terrorism Working Group puts victims at the centre of P/CVE debate. Working with Victims has always been central to RAN’s philosophy.
RAN has also helped victims of terrorism to redefine their roles within P/CVE. 10 years after being created, RAN remains a vital supporting resource for victims.
Young people from across the European Union are invited to enter the 2021 Remembrance Day Design Competition. The purpose of the competition is to open up a conversation about terrorism, and its impact on individuals and communities, in the classroom.
Organised by the RAN Victims of Terrorism Working Group, Remembrance Day takes place every year on 11 March, the day of the 2004 Madrid attacks. All designs must be submitted by email no later than 30 November 2021.
The Choir of the lycée Racine (from Paris) sang "Va pensiero, Nabucco" from Giuseppe Verdi, at 16th European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism that took place on 11 March 2020, in Paris.
RAN met Tomas Frága, a survivor of the 2005 terrorist attack in Sharm el-Sheik. He has made a conscious decision not to be defined by what happened to him on that day.
Podcast
Meet Guillaume Denoix de Saint Marc, the founder and executive director of the French association for victims of terrorism (AfVT.org).
He has been working in the field of terrorism and victims of terrorism for 30 years.
The association he founded aims to help victims of terrorism and to prevent radicalisation.
Papers
Following RAN activities and Working Group meetings, an ex-post paper highlights lessons learned, insights and follow-up initiatives.
- RAN VoT The perception of victims/survivors of terrorism in media, Milan 23-24 May 2022
- RAN VoT Incorporating memorial needs of victims and survivors in P/CVE efforts, online meeting 24-25 November 2021 (also available in French and German)
- RAN VoT Supporting the voices of young victims/survivors of terrorism, online meeting 18 June 2021
- Memorials for victims of terrorism and their possible value for P/CVE – Different approaches within the EU, June 2021
- RAN Activities on Victims/Survivors of Terrorism 2011-2021 (also available in French and German)
- RAN VoT and C&N Conclusions How to involve victims of terrorism in a prevention campaign, online meeting 11 June 2020 (also available in French and German)
- RAN RVT & RAN EXIT The role of restorative justice in preventing and responding to violent extremism, Dublin 03-04 December 2019 (also available in French and German)
- RAN VoT Conducting direct interactions between victims of terrorism and detainees: a guideline, online meeting, 24 November 2020 (also available in French and German)
- RAN RVT VIIIth International Congress for Victims of Terrorism, Nice 21-23 November 2019
- RAN VoT Organising direct interactions between victims of terrorism and terrorist detainees: guidelines, online meeting, 29 September 2020 (also available in French and German)
- RAN RVT The role of victims in strengthening social cohesion after a period of violence, Bilbao 20-21 June 2019 (also available in French and German)
- RAN RVT Evaluating the impact of testimonies by victims of terrorism, Prague 10-11 April 2019
- RAN RVT Delivering Effective Testimonials, Amsterdam 20-21 September 2018 (also available in French and German)
- RAN RVT Checklist Shaping your testimonial, Amsterdam 20-21 September 2018 (also available in French and German)
- RAN RVT & RAN EDU Building resilience in the classroom using testimonials from victims and formers, Madrid 24-25 May 2018
- Enhancing the resilience of victims after terrorist attacks, March 2018 (also available in French and German).
- RAN RVT ‘The power of victims of terrorism: how to give support’, Berlin 12-13 September 2017
Contact

Working Group leaders:
- Ana Isabel Rodríguez Cordero, Spain
- Philippe Vansteenkiste, Belgium
For the Working Groups contact points, please see the contacts page