Missing migrants and their families

Abstract

The relatives of missing migrants suffer from different consequences in their lives as a result of the disappearance of a loved one. Above all, they need their relative to be searched for; they need to find out where he or she is and what happened to him or her. This can be clearly seen in their priorities along with the other needs derived from the economic, psychological, legal, and administrative disappearance, as well as the lack of acknowledgement of their situation.

There is a great fragmentation in the search practices due to the lack of clear attention and systematic procedures from the authorities.

Families are forced to approach different institutions and to repeat procedures before the same authorities thus submitting the same information and documentation all over again. This causes a high risk of re-victimization for the families as well as a raise in the expenses generated by the search.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) considers that the phenomenon of the disappearance of migrants goes beyond the borderlines of the countries in question; therefore, it suggests a regional approach to tackle it. The authorities have to not only take measures in each of the national environments, but also to coordinate them at the regional scale.

Entorno, december 2015, issue 60: 25-31