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Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY 4. International |
While every disappearance is a cause of anxiety and distress for those
involved, there are some of particular interest to
International authorities. They include mass disappearances - those who
disappear because of conflict, natural and manmade disasters, in the course of
migration, those related to organised crime and human trafficking or because of “enforced
disappearances” such as those of the 43 students who disappeared in Mexico in 2014.
These are primarily investigated by The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) – an intergovernmental organisation which operates in 40 countries and works with governments, civil society, law enforcement and justice institutions to locate missing people and identify remains. Where there has been foul play, they also help to bring perpetrators to justice and seek redress for the victims.
Using the world’s most advanced DNA laboratory it has analysed 77,000 remains and been able to identify some 20, 000 individuals who had been missing and presumed dead. It also maintains an extensive centralised data base and conducts training as well as advocating for legal change and the families of victims. Much work remains to be done. Some typical examples follow:
War and Conflict
Before World War II, war was primarily between the armed forces of one side fighting against those of the other. Although civilians died too, the ratio was about 9 combatants to one civilian. Since then, things have changed for the worse with 10 civilians dying for every member of the armed forces, leaving many devastated families and unanswered questions behind.
Current projects include DNA matching of bone fragments in Vietnam with the DNA of living relatives. In Bosnia, the ICMP recently helped to commemorate the 29th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide -one of the major reasons for its establishment. Of the 8,000 men and boys who were murdered in 1995, it has been able to identify 7,000. On this occasion, another 14 families were able to lay their loved ones to rest.
It is also turning its attention to Ukraine, where there are already believed to be tens of thousands of missing people, including many children who have become separated from their families. You can watch the video about this here. Gaza will no doubt soon be adding to this grim workload.
Natural and Man -Made Disasters
Natural and man -made disasters are also claiming more and more lives each year with many victims either never being recovered, or remaining unidentified because there is no one to report their absence. It is still not known for example, how many perished in the 2014 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Thousands were buried in mass graves following a cyclone in Haiti without being identified. Thousands are also missing in the wake of earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria in 2023, in the 2023 Libyan floods and at least 1000 are still missing three months after a huge landslide swept away villages in the in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea.
Migrants and Refugees
Migrants are another group with large numbers of dead or missing people.
According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) around 60,253 people disappeared while moving to other
countries in 2014. While many were in the process of fleeing war and turmoil in
countries such as Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan,
some 28,248 are deemed to have vanished
while attempting to cross the Mediterranean.
Here too, many of the dead were simply buried in mass
graves without any identification taking place.
Given that many migrants are illegal and undocumented, these numbers may in fact be much
higher, especially in cases where families do not want to jeopardise the position of a
loved one in a foreign country.
Organised Crime, Forced Labour and Other Forms of Exploitation
Fear of retaliation and intimidation of witnesses also makes tracing of victims difficult in cases of drug smuggling, human trafficking, extortion and other crimes. Human Trafficking is more widespread than people may think. According to joint research* by the International Labour Organization and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), various forms of modern slavery such as forced labour, forced marriage and sexual exploitation are on the rise and are another void into which people disappear.
This video about Libya's Modern Slave Trade, looks more deeply into the problem.
On 2017 estimates there
are an estimated 27.7 million victims around the world including 3.3 million
children, who fall into this category. Missing Children were the topic of this year's International Human Trafficking Day on the 30th of July. Congratulations to US law enforcement and its National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children for locating 200 missing children in a six week operation. Of these 123 were found in dangerous situations and and 23 were found to be safe. However, thousands more remain missing.
No region in the world is immune to such practices. By volume, approximately
half occur in the Asia Pacific region (15.1 million), followed by Europe and Central
Asia with 4.1 million, Africa with 3.8 million and the Americas with 3.6
million. However as a percentage of population, the Middle East ranks highest with
5.3 people per thousand engaged in forced labour. Some practices involving foreign workers are closely related to forced labour and Modern Slavery.
However, it can happen in the best of places and the nicest suburbs. In 2019 – 2020, 223 cases of modern slavery were reported to Australian Federal Police with at least two couples being charged. One couple was gaoled for holding a young woman and in another case, only a few days later, an older couple was given an eight year gaol term for holding a grandmother in conditions of domestic slavery and neglect for almost a decade to the point where she collapsed of malnutrition and other ailments. It is good to see the Australian government coming down hard on this type of thing, though detection is difficult without help from the public.
Below is a report about Canada, though worker exploitation of this type happens in many other developed nations too.
Although men remain the most exploited when it comes to physical work – especially in jobs such as construction and agriculture, it is women and girls who are more often exploited in sex work. Globally, as many as 50 million women and girls are abused in this manner.
* From the Report by the Copyright © International Labour Organization (ILO), Walk Free, and International Organization for Migration (IOM) 2022 First published 2022
The categories above are not mutually exclusive. Many would -be migrants are easily exploited in this way, either because of their uncertain status and vulnerability, or because they are lured with promises of high wages and then find themselves with no choice, no documentation and no one to whom they can complain. Victims of war and natural disaster sometimes end up this category too.
The latest sinister turn in this category is the rise in victims of organ trafficking. After one case emerged in the UK -that of a Nigerian man who was lured to the UK with the promise of a well -paid job but accidentally found out that he was destined to become an involuntary organ donor instead, authorities discovered that there were a number of similar cases.
Enforced Disappearances, Illegal Arrest or Arbitrary Detention
Because August 30th is the Day the world reflects on Enforced Disappearances and the procedure is slightly different for these, I will leave this for the next post.What Families of the Missing Can Do
If a member of your family – either a blood relative, or someone to whom you are related through another family tie – an in -law for example, a stepchild, an adoptee or life partner, then you can report that person missing along with all known details and possibly a photograph and a DNA sample. If you do not feel safe reporting the matter to local or national authorities, the International Organisation for Missing Persons and other organisations can help in various ways. These are listed at the end of this post.
The right to enquire about a missing person and to have an effective and timely investigation are protected by international law. Be aware however, that in instances involving mass casualties, these can often take considerable time to resolve.
What Others Can Do
Obviously we all feel for those who have missing family members and hope that they will found safe and well, there is much more that we can do, starting with connecting families with those to might be able to help and the services they need.
We can also report suspected cases of human trafficking or forced labour. In the second Australian Federal Police Case above, it was only through observant community members – in that instance, health care professionals, that the case came to light and the victim could be reunited with her family.
Here are some of the signs. While none mean much in isolation, you do not have to know for certain in order to report. You could be saving someone’s life.
- Living Conditions:
o The person may live and work in the same place, often in poor conditions.
o They might not have their own bedroom or proper sleeping arrangements.
o The property may seem overcrowded or have bars or permanently drawn curtains on the windows.
- behavioural Signs:
o They appear malnourished, tired, or neglected.
o They seem fearful, anxious, or distrustful of authorities.
o They avoid eye contact and are reluctant to speak to others.
- Control and Restrictions:
o They are rarely seen outside the home and may be accompanied by someone who controls their movements.
o They do not have access to their personal documents, such as passports or IDs.
o They work excessively long hours without breaks or days off.
- Social Isolation:
o They have limited social interactions and are isolated from friends and family.
o They may not know their home or work address.
- Signs of Abuse:
o They might have untreated injuries or signs of physical abuse.
o They could be subjected to verbal abuse or threats.
- Financial Control:
o They do not have control over their finances and may be in debt to their employer.
o They do not seem to have any money, despite working long hours.
See more here or for a more comprehensive list which includes signs of forced marriage, sexual exploitation or exploitation of children for financial gain see Hope for Justice which is a specialist service in the UK for professionals and individual survivors, offering tailored advice, advocacy and information on how to care for survivors.
You should also report to the relevant agencies if you know of any places of illegal detention or burial sites. To help stamp out such practices, you can also take an active part in ensuring the laws and institutions in your country recognise and uphold the rights of others.
3. Donating to or otherwise supporting the organisations which do this work
Who to Call
In the U.S. -call 911 if anyone is in immediate danger or there is
an emergency. To report a concern about human trafficking, email help@hopeforjustice.org or
call (+1) 615-356-0946
In the UK -if you or somebody else is in immediate danger or in an emergency, contact 999 immediately. For non-urgent reporting in the UK:
• Modern Slavery Helpline, open 24 hours a day 08000 121 700
• Salvation Army 0800 808 3733
- Australian
Federal Police (AFP): You can report suspected cases of human
trafficking and slavery to the AFP by calling 131 237. They
also have a Human Trafficking, Sexual Exploitation and Slavery Report Form
on their website
- Anti – Slavery Australia - provides help to victims of modern slavery, human trafficking and forced labour. Call 02 9514 8115 for advice and support. It also does research and works towards law reform
- The Mercy Foundation is also concerned with ending modern slavery and exploitation. In addition to offering support to victims and their families and checklists of what to do if you suspect someone is being trafficked
It’s important to ensure the safety of the victim and yourself when reporting such cases. If you need further guidance or support, the following organisations can also provide valuable resources and assistance.
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
You should have exhausted all local options including Civil Society Groups, before approaching international agencies, but where this isn’t possible or you are unable to make progress, these are some of the organisations you could contact.
INTERPOL operates in 194 countries. Its I -Familia program – separate from its other tasks, involves an extensive DNA matching data base to establish the identity of Missing Persons or human remains. It has been instrumental in solving many cold cases. However, its services can only be accessed by going through National Police.
Reporting missing persons to national authorities might not always be possible, safe, or sufficient. In that case you could turn to international bodies and other organisations that work on the issue of missing and disappeared persons. These include courts and investigative institutions, human rights and humanitarian and legal organisations.
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON MISSING PERSONS based in the Netherlands, can be contacted via their online enquiry centre or by email at aic@imp.int
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS (ICRC) is a neutral and independent organisation which can ensure humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict or other kinds of violence. It also runs two programs.
1. The Restoring Family Links Programs seeks to locate those who have been separated from their families through war and natural disasters and also has a number of additional resources on its page.
2. Its Central Tracking Agency seeks to prevent disappearance and family separation and can be a neutral intermediary for the exchange of information
THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION FOR MIGRATION is the leading organisation within the United Nations system working to promote and support orderly, dignified and humane migration. It also works on issues related to missing migrants through its Missing Migrants Project and to produce a public online database. IOM does not directly conduct activities to locate missing persons. However, it provides information on resources for families globally and regionally, with regard to people who have gone missing while migrating.
THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN (ICMEC) partners with 120 countries to protect children from abduction and exploitation. It runs the Global Missing Children’s Network which helps law enforcement agencies to share information, provides training for those at the frontlines such as police, teachers and healthcare and advocates for stronger protections. It also has a global hotlines for reporting incidents and a helpline directory to assist in reporting cases of exploitation and trafficking.
-List and References have been generated using Microsoft Bing AI
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