While the authorities concerned have an obligation under international humanitarian law to do everything in their power to determine what happened to those who went missing, a greater commitment needs to be made to help the families of the missing overcome the difficulties confronting them in their daily lives, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said today in the run-up to the International Day of the Disappeared, 30 August.
"The scars that war leaves on relatives of missing persons and their communities are deep," said Marianne Pecassou, who heads the activities carried out by the ICRC for the families of missing persons. "People who don't know whether those who have vanished are alive or dead are leading lives of uncertainty. In some cases, they have been waiting for decades, and it often happens that they suffer from emotional and social isolation. Sometimes, they're even shunned as bearers of bad luck, and women can be stigmatized because they are left without the protection of a male family member."

Importantly, the families themselves often find ways, with or without help, to overcome these challenges, such as by bringing people together to honour the memory of missing persons, or by performing alternative death rituals. By keeping their missing relatives present in their hearts and minds, the families ensure that they do not disappear entirely.
Read more: Reliefweb, 29/08/12