Survivors of Terror Attacks in the UK Criticize Government's Compensation Scheme as 'Broken'

The report, which surveyed over 130 survivors from 11 attacks, found that more than two-thirds of respondents felt the scheme was "unfair and unreasonable." The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), which has been in place since the 1990s and handles claims from people who have suffered physical or mental injuries as a result of violent crime in England, Scotland and Wales, was criticized by survivors for its slow and unclear process.

More than half of survey respondents said they felt unable to speak to someone from CICA for help, and over 60% found it difficult to submit their compensation claim.

Furthermore, 62% of survivors did not feel treated with respect and empathy by CICA, compared to only 17% who felt they were.

In 2019, the government committed to a new Survivors' Charter which would guarantee rights for survivors to mental health and legal support, however, some members of Survivors Against Terror said they were still waiting for compensation, with one reporting that their file had been lost.

Joanne McSorley, who was hit by 31 pieces of shrapnel in the Manchester Arena bombing, said she had been "degraded" by being repeatedly told to prove the severity of her injuries.

She was offered £25,000 after a process that took six years and had to give up her job at a local primary school.

"No one has got in touch to ask me 'How are you?' They don't care.

It's just not fair," she said.

Darryn Frost, who used a narwhal tusk to fend off a terror attacker in Fishmongers Hall in 2019 and was involved in the survivors' survey, described the CICA system as "broken." He experienced "over a year of total silence" from CICA and only received proactive contact after appearing on the BBC.

The report calls for a new compensation authority to be overseen by the Home Office with The government has announced a review of the support provided to victims of terrorism in the UK, following criticism of an organization that provides aid to those affected by the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017.

The review comes after it was revealed that the government has provided £4.6 million in support to victims of terrorism since 2017.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has acknowledged that mistakes were made in the handling of some cases by the government's official victim support organization, which provides aid to those affected by terrorism.

The organization has faced criticism for its poor handling of applications, with many victims and their families still awaiting compensation.

Brendan Cox, who co-founded Survivors Against Terror after his wife, Labour MP Jo Cox, was killed by a far-right extremist in 2016, said: "An organization that is supposed to be helping survivors recover and rebuild is instead consistently doing them harm.

If the organization had poor processes and procedures but scored well on other areas, there would be hope for reform.

There is not." The MoJ said it had made changes to the support available to victims of terrorism, including the creation of a dedicated team to handle applications and a review of the process for awarding compensation.

A spokesperson for the MoJ said: "We are committed to ensuring that victims of terrorism receive the support they need, and we acknowledge that mistakes were made in the handling of some cases by the Victims of Terrorism (VoT) fund.

We have made changes to the support available, including the creation of a dedicated team to handle applications and a review of the process for awarding compensation.

We are also reviewing the support available to ensure it better addresses the needs of victims.

Since 2017, we have provided £4.6 million to support victims of terrorism." The VoT fund was set up in 2015 to provide financial support to those affected by terrorism in the UK.

However, the organization has faced criticism for its poor handling of applications, with many victims and their families still awaiting compensation.

The government's review of the support available to victims of terrorism is ongoing, and it is expected to make further changes to ensure that victims receive the support