On 30 August every year, we mark the International Day of the Disappeared. This day is an opportunity to stand in solidarity with the families of missing persons and to remember their missing relatives. We want families to know that they are not alone, that their loved ones are not forgotten, and that the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement continues to work to help them find the answers and support they deserve.
Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are missing due to armed conflict, violence, disasters, and in migration contexts. Enforced disappearance crime – where missing people may have been abducted, arrested, detained, and even killed – is now a global problem. The consequences are far-reaching, devastating immediate families and impacting communities and societies.
The Movement’s Family Links Network helps to restore contact between thousands of family members, each year. This is a unique network connecting across 191 National Societies who are part of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
On average, every minute the Network helps four families separated by conflict, violence, migration, and disasters call each other; every hour, it helps clarify the fate and whereabouts of two missing persons, and every day, it assists in reuniting 21 people with their families.
It is more than a tracing service. We relay messages between where there are no other means of communication. We initiate health and welfare checks for families who have suddenly lose contact with loved ones. This is an essential service and a core component of the work of the Red Cross globally.
In 2023, more than 65,800 people were registered as missing by their families with the Red Cross Red Crescent Family Links Network. This brings the number of registered missing people to almost 240,000. In the past year, the Movement located more than 16,600 people and reunited 7,900 people with their families. Delivered almost 138,000 messages and facilitated more than two million telephone calls.
New Zealand Red Cross Restoring Family Links (RFL) team works closely with our Movement partners. In the 12 months to 30 June 2024, our team has been working on tracing enquiries for 119 missing persons.
