Please visit the ICRC's website to learn more about Day of the Disappeared: http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/themissing
Here is an excerpt from the International Committee of the Red Cross's report, Missing Persons: A Hidden Tragedy
"People have gone missing as long as men have been fighting wars. They might be victims of mass executions thrown into unmarked graves, as in the Balkans. They might be captured or abducted, like the current sweep of young men taken of the streets in Sri Lanka. They might be arrested at their homes and then die in custody or be held incommunicado in secret locations. Sometimes they are civilians fleeing combat, or children separated from their families, as happened often in the Congo. Soldiers might be killed during fighting and their remains improperly managed, such as in the Ethiopian/Eritrean war, where there were reports of bodies being left on the battlefield for years.
It is a tragedy for the person who disappears, but the other victims are the families suspended in limbo, suspecting their loved ones are dead, yet unable to mourn, and in the absence of proof constantly tormented by the possibility of a miracle – a secret prison, a new life in a foreign land. Many spend years, and their life savings, in a fruitless search. Stories are rife of racketeer posing as lawyers, taking money from desperate families in return for help they never deliver. "
It is a tragedy for the person who disappears, but the other victims are the families suspended in limbo, suspecting their loved ones are dead, yet unable to mourn, and in the absence of proof constantly tormented by the possibility of a miracle – a secret prison, a new life in a foreign land. Many spend years, and their life savings, in a fruitless search. Stories are rife of racketeer posing as lawyers, taking money from desperate families in return for help they never deliver. "
More photos can be viewed here: http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/missing-photos-300807
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