“BUT of course, it couldn’t happen here”. How often over the past few years I have heard these words, as up and down the country I have talked about the charity Remembering Srebrenica Scotland - often sharing in graphic detail the awful atrocities committed during the genocide there in 1995.

My response is always the same - it could, because those who lived in Bosnia lived peacefully side by side for many years. But the war in Bosnia saw neighbour turn against neighbour, friend against friend, religion against religion. It couldn’t happen here? Tell that to those who have been frightened by the ‘Punish a Muslim’ campaign or indeed anyone caught in the vortex of hatred, racism, and homophobia that circulates seemingly unchecked around our social media platforms.

This weekend I will be back in Srebrenica, leading, along with Kezia Dugdale MSP, a 12 all-women delegation, visiting the sites of the genocide and hearing from survivors and those affected by what has been termed the worst atrocity in Europe since the Second World War. Within the space of a week in July 1995, 8,372 mostly Muslim men and boys were murdered by Bosnian Serb forces in an act of genocide.

This is an all-women delegation as we will be focusing on the often-forgotten stories of the women who were left behind, struggling with their grief but determined to not only find their loved ones in the numerous mass graves but to fight for justice and truth, leading to the convictions of those responsible. The Mothers of Srebrenica organisation continues that struggle to this day and their testimonies have been instrumental in the convictions of Karad?i? and Mladic at The Hague.

This year our theme has been ‘Breaking the Silence’ as some 23 years on we hear of the many gender related tragedies, with 20,000 to 50,000 Bosniak women and girls – some as young as 12 – subjected to sexual violence. We don’t know the exact number because the majority of them have remained silent, through stigma, shame and fear. Even to share their stores is an act of great courage and a constant reminder of their suffering. Through this trip we hope to forge closer ties with organisations and women in Bosnia, doing all we can to support them but also to learn from them.

The Scottish Board of Remembering Srebrenica has now been in existence for just over 3 years. We are grateful to have the support of the Scottish Government enabling us to take out 30 delegates per year. We believe there is no substitute for visiting and hearing from survivors. Srebrenica becomes part of you. You cannot forget what you have seen and heard. On return we ask our delegates to pledge their support in tacking hatred, racism and all kinds of prejudice in their own communities as well as retelling the story of what happened.

We are also committed to informing a younger generation. Our board has been involved in updating our education pack for schools. Developed jointly with the Scottish Government’s education department, the comprehensive set of lesson plans can be used across the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence and provide students with the vocabulary to understand and condemn genocide. Pupils learn that the seeds of prejudice are rooted in everyday language, as they explore key terms such as prejudice, stereotype and persecution in a range of activities. With the help of teachers who have recently visited Srebrenica with us we will be relaunching the pack later in the year. Genocide doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens when hatred and intolerance are allowed to flourish unchallenged. And where better to start than in the school classroom?

When you visit Srebrenica, you touch evil. There is a celtic saying that heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in the thin places that distance is even smaller. I’ve often described Srebrenica as a thin place, except in Srebrenica the thin veil is not between heaven and earth but between earth and hell. For there you witness with your eyes and hear with your ears from the mothers and those who survived, the depths to which humanity can sink – the evil that is perpetrated by one human being to another. A thin place; but you also see courage determination the desire to survive and the cry for justice. You are thoroughly despondent and utterly inspired.

Those who do not learn from history, as we know only too well, are doomed to repeat it. The genocide in Srebrenica was not inevitable. We keep telling the story not only to honour those who were massacred, but to remind ourselves that we always have to work at our unity and our common humanity because if we focus on our differences then it’s easy for evil to grow and hatred to flourish.

By the Very Reverend Dr Lorna Hood OBE, chair of Remembering Srebrenica Scotland and former Moderator of the Church of Scotland