Frequently asked questions on the missing

The number of missing persons has risen sharply in recent years. With over 130 conflicts worldwide — double the number recorded in 2009 — the number of people going missing continues to grow. Families are often left in uncertainty for decades, unable to grieve, find closure, or rebuild their lives.

The complexity of family separation and disappearances is also increasing, as migration, disasters, and armed conflicts create new challenges, such as searching the missing across different countries and even continents. Vulnerable individuals, such as unaccompanied minors and detainees, are especially at risk of going missing.

The absence of a loved one creates profound emotional, psychological, social, and economic challenges for families. Not knowing the fate of a loved one leaves families in a state of permanent uncertainty, which can lead to unresolved grief and a painful psychological condition known as "ambiguous loss."

Families must also navigate a range of practical challenges, including legal, social, administrative, economic, and health-related difficulties. The ICRC works to support families and empower them to cope with these challenges while they continue their search for answers.

Families of the missing are not just victims; they are advocates for answers, justice, and peace. Their resilience and determination play a crucial role in keeping the issue visible and can help foster reconciliation and peacebuilding in affected communities. Families have the right to know the fate of their loved ones, and their advocacy is vital to driving political action and ensuring accountability.

Yes, preventing people from going missing is possible through adherence to international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL). Key preventive measures include:

• Preserving family unity and preventing separation.
• Ensuring the dignified management of the dead.
• Keeping records of vulnerable individuals, such as unaccompanied minors and detainees, as early as possible to prevent disappearances.
• Establishing mechanisms like National Information Bureaux to collect and share information about protected persons, such as prisoners of war, during international armed conflicts.

States and parties to armed conflict bear the primary responsibility for preventing people from going missing, accounting for those who do, and addressing the needs of families. Under international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL), they are obligated to:

• Prevent family separations and maintain family unity.
• Provide information about the fate and whereabouts of missing persons to their families.
• Ensure the proper management of the dead, including identification and burial.
• Strengthen medico-legal systems and establish mechanisms like National Information Bureaux to collect and share information about missing persons.

Sustained political commitment is essential, even during conflict or decades later, to create an environment that prioritizes the suffering of families and brings answers, justice, and dignity.

For over 150 years, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has worked to prevent family separations, reconnect families, and search for missing persons. The Central Tracing Agency (CTA), established in 1870 and enshrined in the Geneva Conventions, is at the heart of these efforts.

The ICRC’s work includes:

• Helping families stay in touch: Acting quickly during emergencies to prevent the loss of contact and disappearances through tools like free phone or video calls, Red Cross messages, and other communication methods.
• Accounting for and searching for missing people: Keeping track of the whereabouts of vulnerable individuals and conducting tailored searches for missing persons.
• Supporting families: Empowering families to cope with the psychological, social, legal, and economic challenges caused by the absence of loved ones, and to advocate for their needs
• Influencing and advocating: Working with family associations, civil society, states and other actors to prevent and address family separation and disappearances, sharing best practices, and providing expert advice to help them fulfill their obligations.

Searching for missing persons is a complex process that requires tailored approaches for each situation. The ICRC uses a variety of methods, including:

• Fieldwork on individual cases.
• Data analysis and, identity matching, and new technologies, such as advanced algorithms to connect and analyse information across platforms and borders.
• Dialogue with authorities to ensure they fulfil their obligations to prevent disappearances, search for missing persons, and address families’ needs.
• Accessing hard-to-reach areas.
• Forensic science, including the identification of the deceased.

The ICRC and the Family Links Network provide comprehensive support to families, such as:

• Communication tools such as phone or video calls and Red Cross messages to help families stay in touch with loved ones.
• Online tools like Trace the Face to assist in searches.
• psychological, legal, social, and economic support to help families cope with ambiguous loss.
• Empowerment initiatives to help families advocate for their missing loved ones and collaborate with others for mutual support.

Unresolved cases of missing persons perpetuate trauma, deepen grievances, and hinder community healing long after violence has ended.

• The absence of answers and acknowledgment fuels resentment, affecting family histories and identities across generations. Without meaningful responses, wounds remain open, and reconciliation becomes impossible.
• Unaddressed cases perpetuate instability and hinder peacebuilding. Families report that the unresolved issue of missing persons is often exploited to fuel divisions and prolong conflicts.
• Conversely, addressing this issue can counteract manipulation, foster trust, and build confidence among conflicting parties. Including the issue of missing persons in political negotiations can advance conflict prevention, support reconciliation, and sustain long-term peace processes.

• Prioritize families’ needs: Centre all efforts on the emotional, legal, economic, and administrative needs of families, ensuring support for both the search process and their well-being.
• Engage in conflict-sensitive approaches: Acknowledge how the issue of the missing can be exploited to sustain divisions. A focus on humanitarian needs fosters peacebuilding and reconciliation.
• Foster connection across divides: Bringing families of the missing together, including those from opposing sides, helps prevent isolation, encourages shared understanding, and empowers families as peacebuilders.
• Support family-led peacebuilding: Families should be encouraged to engage in joint activities that promote dialogue, solidarity, and reconciliation at the community level, shaping initiatives based on their own needs and wishes.
• Promote political commitment: Governments should recognize families of the missing as agents in their own right, not just victims, and include the issue of the missing in political negotiations. Authorities must ensure families’ right to know the fate of their loved ones and address their needs without discrimination.