Survivors Against Terror: 'We are forgotten about, there is no one there to listen'

It is hard to imagine a loved-one leaving the house in the morning, never to return. Charlotte Sutcliffe experienced this harsh reality on Tuesday 22 March 2016 when her partner, David, who worked at finance firm Euroclear, was killed in the Maelbeek metro attack in Brussels.

The last contact she had with her partner was at 8.58 when he replied to a text message, following the explosion at Brussels Airport, reassuring her that his train was still running. When she learned of the second attack, she knew he was on that metro, but never knew his condition.

The next few days were complete chaos as she frantically tried to confirm his whereabouts. After spending countless, yet pointless, hours on the phone with different emergency numbers, Sutcliffe printed pictures of David and walked around the hospitals and police stations, desperately wanting an answer. His death was confirmed two days later.

Now dealing with the loss of her partner of almost 20 years, her problems were just beginning. She said the city and emergency services provided her, and the other grieving victims of the attack, with little to no help. "The Belgian government responded terribly from beginning to end," Sutcliffe tells The Bulletin. "They started thinking of themselves and began to forget the victims ever even existed."

In the days that followed the attack, Sutcliffe was directed to a lawyer who promised she and the other families of the victims would be compensated. Two years have now passed - it has been days full of waiting and confusion, wondering when they will receive what they were promised. It has even been difficult for families to receive help with medical care, including seeking psychological help after going through such a trauma.

"It has led to this inability to feel as if I can truly move on when there are still so many questions there," she adds. Brussels became toxic for her and her son, Henry. She said they had no choice but to pack up and go. Five months later, she decided to move back to the UK where they could begin to cope more easily.

She constantly wonders about how she will continue to pay her expenses. Henry, now eight, was diagnosed with autism soon after the attack - and Sutcliffe says it is difficult to decide whether she should return to work or not. Without knowing when she will receive the compensation, her life is consumed with worry that she believes could have been prevented if the Belgian government had treated the victims more fairly.

"The government should have more responsibility because the attack was against them," she says. "It should not be on the victim who has already suffered so much."

Survivors Against Terror

Sutcliffe is using her experience over the last couple of years to fight for victims. She, among other people who have been struck by tragedy all over the world, has come together to start an organisation called Survivors Against Terror.

As a group, they believe victims of tragedies are not treated well enough. Often, the only coverage circulating in media after an attack are focused around the hate the crime was committed on. Survivors Against Terror was created to provide a counter-narrative by creating a network where survivors' voices are heard.

"I think we are sort of forgotten about, unless you really really fight for it," Sutcliffe adds. "Anything you have to say, you’re basically just shouting in the air because there is no one there to listen."

She says victims can be invaluable in the fight against radicalisation. Their stories and their experiences have the power to counteract those victims that call for hate and blame of division, and that is the mission of Survivors Against Terror.

Unlike any other day

Sutcliffe says it is impossible for 22 March to ever be normal again. Although her and her son may grieve and reflect on the tragedy that changed their lives forever, she hopes that in honour of David and the others killed, that people give a random act of kindness.

"What I will always remember was the outpouring love and support we received," she concludes. "If we can keep that positivity and strength up, then these people who peddle hate and violence would never get a stranglehold on our young people. When we are united and respect one another, we are so strong."