It was part of a four-day visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina organised by Remembering Srebrenica, a charity that educates people about genocide in order to create stronger, cohesive communities in the UK.
The trip last month, part of the charity’s Lessons from Srebrenica initiative, visited Bosnia-Herzegovina and a guided tour of the capital Sarajevo. Their guide was Rešad Trbonja, a survivor of the Siege of Sarajevo – the longest bombardment of a capital city in the history of modern warfare.
Lucy Hammond, a history teacher at Wickersley School and Sports College in Rotherham, said: “Don’t just live next to your neighbours, live with them. Rešad’s moving story taught me that we need to treasure the diverse society we have in the UK and work hard to protect it. The warmth and wisdom shown by the survivors we spoke to was inspiring.”
The group of educators paid their respects at the Srebrenica Memorial site in Potocari where more than 8,300 Muslim men and boys were systematically killed because of their faith by Bosnian-Serb forces led by General Ratko Mladic.
While there, the group met with Fadila Efendic – one of the many mothers who lost their sons in the genocide.
Both the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia have ruled Srebrenica a genocide. In November 2017, Ratko Mladic was found guilty of the genocide at Srebrenica and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The teachers and educators on the trip will now aim to spread the lessons they learnt and will become the charity’s “Community Champions” who speak out against hate.
Since being established in 2013, Remembering Srebrenica has taken more than 1,100 British citizens to Srebrenica to learn about the genocide that occurred there in 1995.
Over the last five years, the charity has brought communities together by organising almost 5,500 Srebrenica memorial activities across the UK and has educated around 75,000 young people about the dangers of hatred left unchecked.
This year, Remembering Srebrenica will be holding events and ceremonies across the UK to mark the 23rd anniversary of the genocide between July 8 and 15, including Srebrenica Memorial Day on July 11.
- For further information, visit www.srebrenica.org.uk