VR lets you experience plight of war survivors
The digital campaign is aimed at raising awareness of the plight of internally displaced persons and celebrating their courage and resilience.” Mazen Aboulhosn, coordinator,
International Organisation for Migration
dubai — In the age of digital technology, the UN Migration Agency has been using virtual reality (VR) to share the harrowing experiences of people who have survived wars and armed conflicts in their own countries.
At the three-day humanitarian aid conference taking place in Dubai until Thursday, visitors can almost “touch and feel” the plight of five war survivors from Iraq, Colombia, Nigeria, Ukraine and the Philippines.
Called ‘Holding On’, the digital campaign is aimed at “raising awareness of the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and celebrating their courage and resilience”, Mazen Aboulhosn, coordinator at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), told Khaleej Times on Tuesday.
According to the IOM, “internal displacement continues unabated around the world with 40 million people displaced in their own countries by conflict and violence as at December 2017, accounting for 62 per cent of all conflict-induced displacement”.
Through its ‘Holding On’ campaign, the IOM is retelling the stories of the survivors by asking them to reflect on their most cherished possessions. “These mementos eventually became physical representations of their survival and a world that has since disappeared.”