Profiles of the Missing: Reflections from the Families of Missing Persons on the Progress of the Implementation of the Peace Agreement

With the signing of the Peace Agreement between the Government and the FARC-EP, Colombia took a challenging path to account for more than 120,000 missing persons left behind by the 50-year-long armed conflict. ICMP’s global experience shows that the participation of families and civil society in institutional efforts is a prerequisite for guaranteeing their rights and healing societal wounds.

The 11 December 2020 Profiles of the Missing event summarized in this publication highlighted the fundamental role of civil society organizations in which missing persons’ families are active. Many of these organizations are led by women, who demonstrate strength, determination and hope in the search for their relatives – a task that, if not solved, is passed on to the next generation.

This publication profiles six civil society representatives. Their diversity underlines the complexity of Colombia’s problem of disappearance and the importance of impartial solutions that guarantee the rights of all victims. The families who shared their experiences are victims of disappearance due to actions of all actors in the armed conflict. Their stories remind us that the conflict had indiscriminate, individual, and social effects. Let us not forget that disappearance affects all. The solutions, therefore, must reflect the needs of all.