Westminster Bridge survivor calls for victims of terror attacks to be listened to

Travis Frain, a survivor of the Westminster Bridge terrorist attack in March 2017 has said survivors of terrorist attacks must be listened to.

Writing in the Independent on the UN International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, he said: "We must recognise the agency of survivors and victims, as well as the families, friends and communities of those affected, who live with the enduring legacy of terrorism."

Frain is about to travel to the US meet with other victims of terror attacks, in order to provide peer-to-peer support and share his story to raise awareness. He has already spoken to other survivors of terror attacks, including Cath Hill, a survivor of the Manchester Arena attack who launched the Bee the Difference project with the National Emergencies Trust. She said: “I took my son to see his first ever concert on 22 May 2017. It should have been a happy memory. Little did we know the event would change our lives forever. We escaped unharmed and people say we were the lucky ones.

“To some extent we were, but we’ve been living with the psychological consequences ever since and struggle with survivor’s guilt every day. By learning from young people’s experiences, our collective hope is that we can make sure that children affected by terror attacks in future receive the best possible support.”

He has also spoken to Dot Hill, a survivor of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, who said: “I was working in the office and sat in the break room when the device exploded at 9.02am, partially collapsing the building and leaving devastation in its wake. My memories of the traumatic incident caused deep invisible scars.

“It’s been 27 years since the attack, and I still struggle to shake the graphic and painful images I was left with from that day. We know terrorists often start at a young age and there’s a worrying increase in the number of children being drawn into terrorism. We as a society need to be better equipped in how we spot and respond to signs of radicalisation.”

Frain set up the Resilience in Unity Project to provide a platform for survivors’ stories, with the aim of demonstrating the benefits of listening to those affected and ensuring learning from their experiences to better our counterterrorism efforts and policies.

He has also spoken to representatives from Downing Street to discuss setting up a national day of service in tribute to victims of terrorism. The proposal is a day where the nation can consider how our actions impact one another and what we can do at grassroots level to prevent radicalisation and safeguard the community.

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