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On the
occasion of Monday's Day of the Disappeared, the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said
the need for more States to accede to the International
Convention urgently.
The
humanitarian agency, based in Geneva,
expressed
regret that the convention has still not entered into
force as it has not yet been ratified by 20 States. To
date, 83 States have signed the convention and 19 have
become party to it.
More States
should urgently become party to the International
Convention for the Protection of All Persons from
Enforced Disappearance, a key instrument to prevent and
eradicate disappearances, the International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC) said.
A message
of hope to the families
"This
convention sends a message of hope to the families of
the disappeared," said Olivier Dubois, deputy head of
the Central Tracing Agency and Protection Division of
the ICRC.
"Causing
people to disappear by means of secret imprisonment,
abduction or extrajudicial killing can never be
justified. The families of the disappeared experience
extreme pain and anxiety, which can last for years –
sometimes a lifetime – and make it difficult for them to
lead normal lives. It is imperative that as many States
as possible sign and become party to the convention."
Enforced disappearance is a crime under international
human rights law and – when it occurs in war – under
international humanitarian law.
Measures to
prevent forced disappearances
The convention
contains a series of measures to prevent forced
disappearances, including the requirement that any
person deprived of liberty must be registered by the
detaining authority. It also establishes the right of
any victim to know the truth about the circumstances of
an enforced disappearance and the fate of the
disappeared person. States that sign and ratify the
treaty have to make enforced disappearance an offence
under their national criminal law.
In every situation of armed conflict or internal
violence, people disappear. The tragedy affects millions
of people all over the world. The ICRC works to prevent
people from going missing, to help clarify what happened
to those who do disappear and to support the families of
missing persons.
Need of the
families of missing people
The ICRC seeks to ensure that the needs of the families
of missing people – including their legal, financial,
social and psychological needs – are met. It accepts
tracing requests and attempts to locate missing people,
an endeavour that can involve visits to places of
detention, hospitals or morgues, or appeals to the
authorities to investigate. Tracing can be a complex and
lengthy process involving the participation not only of
the ICRC but also of National Red Cross or Red Crescent
Societies in several countries.
Swisslatin (08.30.2010)
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