Women whose husbands are missing have to deal with a legal status that is no longer clear. As neither wives nor widows, they cannot claim an inheritance, seek guardianship of children, access property or even remarry. They can remain in this state of limbo for protracted periods, as some countries allow years to pass before declaring a person officially dead or absent.

The ICRC provides women with administrative help in dealing with matters of legal status, inheritance, pensions, custody of children and property rights. In the Balkans, the ICRC published a particularly useful guide for women that informed them of all the legal and administrative procedures they needed to follow in order to obtain support from the authorities after their husband or family member had disappeared.