Missing persons and their families: recommendations for drafting national legislation

In situations of armed conflict or internal violence, countless families suffer great anguish when loved ones go missing and they make desperate attempts to find them. Very often, the families of missing persons are unable to overcome their pain and rebuild their lives again, even many years after the events. International humanitarian law (IHL), which contains provisions aimed at limiting the effects of armed conflict and preventing people from disappearing, upholds the right of families to know the fate of their relatives. The authorities must make every effort to prevent people from disappearing and to deal with the consequences when they do. Pursuant to the mandate conferred on it by the international community, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) strives to ensure that people do not go missing in situations of armed conflict or internal violence and to elucidate the fate of those who do.