NI body appoints new advocate for victims of Troubles in Britain
A SPANISH woman who spent four years studying the Middle East’s violent history has become the first person recruited by a Northern Ireland victims group to support Troubles survivors in Britain.
Yasmin Wright from Andalucia is the fifth advocacy worker appointed by the South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF), which has secured more than £1 million over the next four years from the European Peace IV fund to support victims.
Ms Wright (24) is the first of the foundation’s staff to be based in London and focused solely on supporting victims of terror attacks in Northern Ireland now living in Britain, or who were affected by Troubles outrages that happened there.
It follows the appointment last month of Ann Travers to the foundation.
Her sister Mary was murdered by the IRA in 1984 in a botched assassination attempt on their magistrate father.
SEFF is also planning to launch an app dubbed The Killing Fields to pinpoint sites in Co Fermanagh where more than 100 Troubles-related terror incidents occurred.
Ms Wright said: “I’m confident this opportunity at the SEFF will allow me to combine my experiences working alongside vulnerable people with my interest in learning about new political and historical landscapes.
“I’m delighted to have been appointed to this advocacy role at SEFF as I’m committed to the establishment of a crucial London-based advocacy service for victims of the Troubles, in order to overcome the geographical barriers for victims based in Great Britain.
“I also wish to raise awareness and empower victims of the Troubles to ensure that their rights are understood and upheld.”
Ms Wright added that learning English while growing up in Spain and living in a “multi-cultural community” had given her the motivation to “deepen my understanding of social issues and gaining different perspectives in the UK and abroad”.
Ms Wright completed a specialist four-year social science degree on the politics and history of the Middle East at the University of Leeds.
She then travelled through South America, where she helped a local non-governmental organisation develop their educational and social programme for children involved in agricultural labour.
Most recently she has been working for a homeless charity in London.