On the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, in a statement he detailed that, according to the report of the Truth Commission, more than 121 thousand people were forcibly disappeared in Colombia from 1985 to 2016.
“Unfortunately, disappearance in Colombia is not something of the past, it is something of the present. Since December 2016, we recorded 1,333 cases of missing persons in connection with armed conflict and violence, 309 in 2022 and 222 between January and August this year,” Caraffi detailed.
On behalf of the ICRC, he called on armed actors to take the necessary measures to prevent people from going missing, including through the proper handling of mortal remains.
In addition, they should share with tracing institutions any information useful in clarifying the whereabouts and fate of persons missing in connection with armed conflict and violence.
“The families of missing persons continue to suffer from the disappearance, even though it may have happened years ago. The uncertainty of not knowing where they are and what has happened to their missing relative affects their mental health and has a social and economic impact on their daily lives,” he emphasized.
He also invited Colombian institutions responsible for dealing with the problem of disappearances or that have useful information for the search, to support the initiative to create a national search system.
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