Somewhere in the world every day, in the midst of conflict and disaster, families are torn apart. It can happen in a matter of minutes; children can lose their way in the chaos, the sick and elderly might not be able to be moved, relatives can be arrested and detained, unable to get word to their families. Surrounded by turmoil, panic and terror, it can be the beginning of long years of anguish and uncertainty about the fate of missing children, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, parents.
Each year the world marks International Day of the Disappeared — August 30, 2011 — a time to remember those who are missing.
In the last year Australian Red Cross has resolved the cases of more than 370 people separated by war, conflict or disaster. We are currently working with 1255 families, many of them looking for more than one missing relative. These families come from places as diverse as Hungary, Afghanistan and Democratic Republic of the Congo — some have been separated from their loved ones for more than 20 years.
Looking for answers, Red Cross Tracing staff and volunteers can end up bicycling for hours along dirt roads or canoeing up flooded rivers, to visit a remote refugee camp with no postal service; it can also mean days spent poring through national archives, public databases and newspapers in the hunt for clues to the whereabouts of the missing. On average, Australian Red Cross is able to resolve almost 60 per cent of cases, though some cases can take years to resolve and sadly sometimes the news is not good.
Red Cross’ mandate of neutrality and impartiality helps the Tracing Service — which draws on the resources of the organisation’s global network in187 countries — to secure access to information in even the most difficult circumstances. You can support Red Cross to reconnect families separated by war, conflict or disaster by making a donation to Australian Red Cross. For more information, visit www.redcross.org.au or call 1800 811 700.
Robert Tickner, Australian Red Cross CEO
