Sign up: http://yetagaingenocideprevention.eventbrite.co.uk
The 9th December marks the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.
We are delighted to be hosting this panel discussion with 4 incredible speakers. This event aims to serve as an introduction to the concept of genocide and tackle the misinformation that we are seeing surface on social media.
Questions to panelists must be submitted in advance through the Eventbrite registration, or by emailing [email protected].
Panelist Biographies
Ruth Barnett, MBE Kindertransportee, Educator and Author
Ruth Barnett came from Berlin to England on the Kindertransport in 1939 at age four to escape Nazi persecution. Raised in three foster families and a hostel, she did not see her parents for ten years.
She was a secondary school teacher for 19 years and a psychotherapist for over 30 years. She is retired now and has been writing books and speaking in Holocaust education for over 20 years challenging young people to think widely and move from passive bystander to active upstander.
Her daughter, Tania, now joins her in giving talks. Ruth’s biography, “Person of No Nationality”, was published in 2009.
Dr Kate Ferguson Co-Executive Director, Protection Approaches
Dr Kate Ferguson is a foreign policy expert driving a new approach to the prevention of mass atrocity crimes. She is Co-Executive Director at Protection Approaches, a London-based NGO she co-founded in 2014 to change how identity-based violence is understood in order to transform how it is prevented. Kate is the first Chair of Policy at the European Centre for the Responsibility to Protect and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of East Anglia. She has trained and advised state representatives, parliamentarians, and law enforcement from across the world. Between 2012 and 2018, Kate lectured on subjects related to human rights, international justice, and UK foreign policy. Her book, Architectures of Violence: The Command Structures of Modern Mass Atrocities will be published in January 2021 by Hurst and Oxford University Press.
Olivia Marks-Woldman, OBE Chief Executive, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust
Olivia joined the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) as Chief Executive in February 2012. She has overseen the growth of Holocaust Memorial Day around the country and a hugely increased media presence.
Olivia believes passionately that everyone, regardless of age or background, should know about the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and the subsequent genocides, and should set aside time to remember all those who suffered. She feels fortunate to be working for an organisation that enables people to do this, that encourages people to consider their own responsibilities, and that puts the life stories of those who were murdered and those who survived at the centre of commemorations.
Before joining HMDT, Olivia worked in a number of other charities, mainly in roles that involved political lobbying, policy development and stakeholder engagement.
Michael Polak Barrister, Church Court Chambers
Michael Polak is a barrister practising in human rights, criminal, and international law at Church Court Chambers. Michael is also a Director at Justice Abroad which helps people who need assistance dealing with legal proceedings overseas. He is on the advisory committee of the World Uyghur Congress London office and undertakes work for the WUC and Uyghurs and their families who have been subject to disappearance or arbitrary detention.
