Afghanistan – restoring family links (part 1)

Wars not only inflict human and material losses, they also devastate the social and cultural fabric of societies. Few nations have been exposed to this as clearly, or for as long, as Afghanistan.

Although wars are fought mainly by men, women and children are often both the direct and indirect victims of conflict through mistreatment by parties to the conflict, through fragmentation of families and separation of family members; or by the loss of male providers during fighting.

The ICRC is mandated to assist the victims of armed conflict. It does this in many ways: providing assistance to victims; visiting persons detained as a result of the conflict; restoring family links during armed conflict, by tracing missing or displaced persons; and by providing a Red Cross message service to enable separated families to keep in touch.

Zohra, 20, knows about being a victim of conflict.

"I was shocked and traumatised when I regained consciousness and realised that I had lost my leg in a rocket attack in Kabul. Luckily, I was referred by my neighbour to the ICRC orthopaedic centre," she explains.

"I was fitted with an artificial limb and got physiotherapy sessions to walk on my own legs. The ICRC offered me a job after I recovered and now I am standing on my own as an equal member of my society."

Zohra now works in the tracing department of the ICRC. Her function is to maintain a database of information of people detained because of the conflict. Sometimes she works with her Afghan Red Crescent Society colleagues to arrange the distribution of Red Cross messages.

"It is very important for people to know the whereabouts of their loved ones. We are maintaining relations between detainees and their families, or between family members who are separated as a result of fighting."

Often, Red Cross messages are the only means for people deprived of their freedom or separated from their loved ones to get news of each other.

Zohra gives an example of restoring family links.

"It was very exciting for me when a person from Paktia province came to my department to trace his lost brother, who he thought would not be alive. After searching our database his brother was found alive – he was being detained in Afghanistan. When he heard this news tears came to his face. He said it was as if the ICRC had given him back his brother."

"I am very proud to be working and helping my people, who are often in desperate need," she concluded.