RAN VoT Incorporating memorial needs of victims and survivors in P/CVE efforts, online meeting 24-25 November 2021

This paper is based on the insights from the RAN Victims/Survivors of Terrorism Working Group meeting on 24-25 November 2021. It presents how practitioners view the different approaches, ways and characteristics of memorialisation and what is the potential of commemorative practices in P/CVE. One of the main aim s of the meeting was to analyse the current memorial policies and practices including local, national, and transnational levels.

The second was to discuss possible opportunities (or limitations) in using memorials and commemorations more directly to support P/CVE. The outcomes of the meeting are the basis of this conclusion paper, which is designed to inform future RAN activities on the matter. Memorialisation is still key to public recognition and acknowledgment of the experiences of victim s/survivors, yet the process of attributing meanings to remembrance and creating successful memorialisation strategies is not without challenges.

The normative ideal is a memorialisation approach that espouses both a private and public dimension of remembrance, reconciling memorial needs of victim s/survivors and society as a whole. In order to bridge such an existing gap and put memorialisation in service of prevention and countering of violent extremism (P/CVE), several recommendations have been formulated.

The participants reiterated the following:

• The memorial needs of victim s/survivors must be recognised by state and society;
• The voices of the victim s/survivors are key to P/CVE efforts;
• Victim s/Survivors need to foster and maintain ownership of their own narratives and experiences;
• It’s important to reconcile the private and public dimension of remembrance.

The aim of this paper is to share key ideas underpinning the discussion, the focus of the meeting, key outcomes/messages as well as to inform about the challenges and opportunities of using memorialisation in P/CVE.