Victims of Terror and the Government Lack of Commitment to Their Plight

¶ … Ignored Group of Terror Victims, And the Possible Consequences

The American population is currently one that is fully aware of the extent of the damage and effect that terrorism has on the community and the nation as a whole. The diverse effects and damages that terrorism has is drawn from the fact that terror has numerous faces, ranging from violent aggressions through shootings, suicide bombing, detonating bombs into buildings, using motorized means for terror acts like the planes and trucks, bioterrorism and even cyber terrorism (Crime Museum, 2015). All these are viable means that the terrorist can use of the American people, hence the extended fear and apprehension. Worse still, the effects of any single terror activity often lives in the psyche of a generation and is passed on to the next generation hence has a very profound effect. The 9/11 terror act can be seen to have transcended the generational boundaries and even those born after the terror act, or those who were young at the moment to comprehend anything already know the trauma that was left with the American people after this particular terror act.

The most obvious effect or trauma that terror causes is the physical harm that those involved remain with and also the death toll that comes with any aggression due to terror. The victims of terror often suffer extensive wounds, some end up amputated. The physical harm can heal and the individual goes back to his daily activities, but that event will leave him with psychological trauma that will haunt him for a long time. This post traumatic stress will manifest itself in the victim by him overreacting to loud bangs or explosions that are similar to those that he witnessed in the terror act. The individual will also shun the area that he suffered the terror act and also other places that are similar to the place where the terrorism took place. Their productivity at work is likely to be affected and they may cut out several social links and activities that hitherto they actively engaged in.

The terror victims include the people who have had a member of their family or close friend fall victim to terror activities. These are people who will always live with fear that the same may happen to them, now that the cruelty of terror came so close to them. These people will always think of a possible harm coming their way when they come to the place that their family members lost their lives or got hurt hence will have it in their mind to avoid some areas. This is a group that can possibly suffer post traumatic stress disorder to some extent, let alone the fact that they were not involved in the terror.

Unfortunately, despite the numerous challenges that the victims of terror suffer, they are a group that is largely ignored. They are often designated at the periphery of activities that follow any terror attack, the counter terror activities and the subsequent measures put in place to avoid a repeat of the terror incident, all these often have no place for the victims of terror. The result is that the terror victims, direct or indirect victims for that matter, from apprehension to their environment, fear strangers, avoid living their lives as the rest of the citizens and form twisted ideologies about the governance system. It is not strange to hear of radicalized youth from backgrounds that had suffered the cruel of terror, this is a retaliation mechanism for them. Some victims even end up having xenophobic tendencies that only helps in blurring the line between terrorists and innocent people, eventually making the fight against terror almost impossible.