Reports and Campaigns
‘Broken’ terror compensation scheme must be replaced - survivor survey, July 2023
Survivors of terror attacks give a damning verdict on the UK’s terror compensation system in a new report by Survivors Against Terror (SAT) – leading to calls for the system to be replaced. More than 130 survivors from 11 different terror attacks responded to a SAT survey (conducted by research company Kantar) on the Government’s Criminal Injuries and Compensation Authority (CICA).
“CICA is broken. There can be no other conclusion from the data and the testimonies we have gathered. An organisation that is supposed to be helping survivors recover and rebuild is instead consistently doing them harm. If the organisation had poor processes and procedures but scored well on other areas, there would be hope for reform. There is not.” – Brendan Cox, co-author.
The report includes evidence from multiple survivors of CICA’s failure to help and compensate them and, drawing on their testimony, makes detailed recommendations for a new compensation authority supported by and overseen by the Home Office.
A Survivors' Charter - comparative research, March 2022
A comparative analysis exploring the state provided support to survivors of terrorism across eight countries and a proposal for a new UK standard. In the aftermath of the Fishmongers’ Hall attack in 2019 over 70 survivors of terrorism wrote an open letter called on the UK Government to commit to implementing a charter to guarantee the rights of survivors.
SAT have conducted research into the rights, guarantees and support available to survivors of terrorism across the world with the aim of comparing and contrasting different countries and different systems. We have incorporated the best practices from each example in order to propose a new standard for supporting those affected by terrorism, forming the “Survivors’ Charter”.
A Second Trauma - survey report, October 2021
In 2021 we conducted the largest ever survey into terrorism survivors’ experiences of, and attitudes towards, mainstream print and television media. Based on the responses we received we produced a report “A Second Trauma” (launched 2022) calling for a tightening of the Editors’ Code, for the establishment of a dedicated Hub for victims and for a voluntary agreement not to directly contact the bereaved and seriously injured in the first 48 hours following an attack.
Survivors' Mental Health Needs - survey, 2018
In 2018, SAT, in partnership with Kantar, commissioned a survey of survivors of terror attacks.
271 people responded. Whilst the support of the emergency services, paramedics and police
were rated highly, a shocking 76% rated mental health services as requiring improvement with
a significant majority rating this as highly needs improving.
In this paper we share evidence and case studies from the survey and and make specific, evidenced recommendations for improved mental health support for survivors of terror attacks as part of the national response to terrorism.
