Restoring contact between families separated by war
Section on re-establishing links between families separated by war (displaced people, refugees, prisoners, etc.). Tracing missing persons. What to do if you are looking for a missing relative. Link to the ICRC's family news network (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Liberia and Sierra Leone).
Sri Lanka, Galle town, victims of the tsunami can use ICRC satellite phones to try to get in touch with relatives, 01.01.2005
Restoring family links means re-establishing contact between members of families split up by situations of armed conflict or internal violence and collecting information about people who are detained or have died. It involves organizing family reunifications and repatriations, taking steps to trace persons unaccounted for, and issuing travel documents and certificates of detention.
Each year, these activities concern hundreds of thousands of people (the displaced, refugees, detainees and missing persons).
Young creatives produce ICRC publicity The best of upcoming talent in the advertising industry have taken part in a competition to create advertising material for the ICRC. It was all part of the Young Creatives Competition at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival that took place in June. (ICRC Activities\Protection\Restoring family links)
Protection and central tracing agency : extract from ICRC Annual Report 2005 ICRC protection activities seek to ensure respect for these obligations and rights. They focus on preventing violations and abuse, and on putting an end to them when they occur. They also help alleviate the suffering caused by violations and abuse. (ICRC Activities\Protection)
Hurricane Katrina: restoring contact between families During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the ICRC activated its FamilyLinks website aimed at restoring contact between loved ones. It also sent several tracing specialists to the U.S to support the American Red Cross in its tracing activities. (Info resources\Audio\The Americas)
21-9-2005 Audio Collection Includes Audio
ICRC film
Where are they now?
Restoring and maintaining family links: the worldwide network of the ICRC and the Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies Uncertainty over the fate of a loved one causes untold suffering in wartime. This film captures how the ICRC Central Tracing Agency, together with Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies all over the world, works to alleviate this suffering. It illustrates the different means and methods used in the essential efforts to trace family members and to restore family links. From distributing Red Cross messages and organizing family reunifications to visiting persons deprived of their freedom, the work undertaken brings welcome news and relief to thousands of people every year. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Films\Protection)
16-12-2004 ICRC film Includes Video
ICRC publication
Armed conflict and family links This revised leaflet provides a concise summary of the problem of families split up by war and a description of the methods used to restore family links, reunite separated families and ascertain the status of detainees and missing persons. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Protection)
30-4-2004 ICRC publication Includes PDF
Inter-agency guiding principles on unaccompanied and separated children This set of comprehensive guidelines outlines a framework and set of principles intended to ensure that the rights and needs of separated children are effectively addressed. Created through close inter-agency collaboration, the guidelines aim to promote and support preparedness, coordination and good practice based on lessons learnt. The document addresses all aspect of an emergency from preventing separations, to family tracing and reunification through to long-term solutions and encourages the pooling of complementary skills and expertise. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Protection)
26-3-2004 ICRC Publication Includes PDF
Waiting for news When war breaks out families are torn apart, populations can be displaced or forced into exile, children become separated from their parents, and soldiers are wounded, taken prisoner, reported missing or killed in action. The ICRC and the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies work, often together with other humanitarian agencies, to alleviate the human suffering arising from these situations - in addition to other aid, this can include distributing Red Cross messages, organizing family reunifications, issuing temporary travel documents and capture cards and visiting persons deprived of their freedom.
(Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Protection)
31-12-2002 ICRC publication Includes PDF
Restoring family links: a guide for National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Intended for National Societies, this guide promotes a common approach of the Movement to restoring family links broken by conflict, natural disaster or other humanitarian crises. It includes advice on refining tracing tools, including new technologies, and describes the legal basis for tracing work. It aims to improve skills to respond to the growing worldwide demand for such services. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Protection)
War and family links: relevant legal texts Forwarding information, tracing missing persons and family reunification under international humanitarian law and Red Cross law (Humanitarian law\Missing persons)
27-11-2000 Legal article
Official Statement
Enforced disappearance: a violation of humanitarian law and human rights Statement by the International Committee of the Red Cross to the United Nations Human Rights Council, 27 June 2006, concerning the draft International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances. (ICRC Activities\Humanitarian diplomacy\United Nations\Commission on human rights)
27-6-2006 Official Statement
International Tracing Service and historical research Since 1955 the ICRC has been managing the International Tracing Service in Arolsen, Germany. Striving to help people who were persecuted under the Nazi regime, including victims of the Holocaust, the ITS works with a purely humanitarian mandate derived from the Bonn Agreements of 6 June 1955. (About the ICRC\History\Second World War)
21-3-2006 Official Statement
Human rights questions: implementation of human rights instruments United Nations, General Assembly, 60th session, Third Committee, item 71(a) of the agenda. Statement by the International Committee of the Red Cross, New York, 24 November 2005. (Humanitarian law\IHL in brief\IHL and human rights)
Angola - ICRC tracing activities, one year on A comprehensive ICRC programme aims to help rebuild the social fabric of Angola. By enabling people to contact loved ones, through the exchange of thousands of Red Cross messages, and by locating their missing family members the ICRC hopes to contribute to stability in the country. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Angola)
Every week, the ICRC repatriates dozens of children displaced by war in West Africa. These children, who come from Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire, often spend many long years in refugee camps before they can return to their families. In February 2005, Vassily Fadeev and Jean-Yves Clémenzo, two ICRC communication delegates based in Guinea and Liberia, accompanied six of them on their trip back home. (Info resources\Photos\Africa)
23-3-2005 Photo Collection Includes Photo
Press article
Katrina’s deadly path Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating storms in the history of the United States. The American Red Cross launched the largest mobilization of resources in its history for a single natural disaster - Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 3, 2005 (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\United States)
31-12-2005 Press article
The Missing - the right to know For the families of the missing any news is good news. In every corner of the globe. They tell of the pain and suffering, their only wish to know the truth - Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 1, 2003 Virginie Miranda(Focus\Missing persons)
31-3-2003 Press article
Report
ICRC Report: The Missing and their families Conclusions arising from Events held prior to the International Conference of Governmental and Non-Governmental Experts (19-21 February 2003). (Focus\Missing persons\February 2003 - Conference of experts)
21-2-2003 Report Includes PDF
Stories from the field
Namibia: a long journey to prison The provincial town of Katima Mulilo in Namibia's northern Caprivi Region is the starting point of a very long journey for many families – a 1,300 kilometre trip to visit detained relatives. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Namibia)
11-7-2006 Stories from the field Includes Photo
South Asia earthquake: trying to reunite families Restoring contact between family members separated by conflict or natural disaster is an important ICRC activity. ICRC delegate, Raza Hamdani, describes one such reunification of a Pakistani family. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Pakistan)
9-6-2006 Stories from the field Includes Photo
Iraq: facilitating family visits to detainees At the most southern tip of Iraq, the ICRC is continuing its Family Visitation Allowance Programme (FVAP) that began in October 2005, providing financial assistance to families wishing to visit relatives held at Bucca internment camp. Kenza Saadi, an ICRC protection delegate, reports from Basrah. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Iraq)
4-4-2006 Stories from the field
Romania: re-establishing contact between Uzbek families Hundreds of families have been separated by the upsurge in violence in the Ferghana Valley last May. So far, the ICRC has facilitated the exchange of more than 460 Red Cross messages comforting the refugees forced to live far from their loved ones. Marcin Monko of the ICRC delegation in Budapest reports from Timisoara. (The ICRC worldwide\Western and Central Europe and the Balkans\Romania)
13-2-2006 Stories from the field Includes Photo
South Asia earthquake: ICRC reunites family members It has been nearly three months since a massive earthquake devastated parts of Pakistan and India but even now the ICRC and the Pakistani Red Crescent Society are still trying to reunite families torn apart by the tragedy. The ICRC's Raza Hamdani reports on a recent family reunion. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Pakistan)
29-12-2005 Stories from the field Includes Photo
Congo-Brazzaville: a Red Cross message brings a husband back from the dead In October 2005 armed violence broke out in Bacongo, in the southern part of Brazzaville. A number of people fled or were arrested. Paulette, who lives in a village in Kindamba, lost touch with her husband following the fighting. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Congo-Brazzaville)
1-12-2005 Stories from the field Includes Photo
Sierra Leone: Amara finds his mother The ICRC is continuing its efforts to restore contact between children and families separated by conflicts in West Africa. This is the story of one child whose search for his mother ended happily. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Sierra Leone)
25-11-2005 Stories from the field
Sixty years on: tracing victims of the Second World War Every year, the ICRC and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies receive tens of thousands of tracing requests relating to the Second World War. The work of the ICRC and Red Cross/Red Crescent tracing officers still reunites families torn apart during the six-year conflict. Marcin Monko, of the ICRC's regional delegation in Budapest, sent this report. (About the ICRC\History\Second World War)
6-5-2005 Stories from the field Includes Photo
Kabassan! Reunions of persons separated by war are emotionally charged moments. Balla Bamba, an ICRC delegation employee in N'zérékoré, witnessed a reunion that might never have been had it not been for … a cow named Kabassan. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Guinea)
2-3-2005 Stories from the field Includes Photo
Aceh: reunited after a month Trying to reunite loved ones separated by the earthquake and tsunami disaster has been a major part of the ICRC's response in the Indonesian province of Aceh. ICRC delegate Bernt Appeland met one family whose members found each other again. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Indonesia)
2-2-2005 Stories from the field Includes Photo
Sri Lanka: waiting for news Helping families who have been separated by war or natural disaster to restore contact with each other is a key activity of the ICRC and has been an important part of its response to the tsunami disaster in Asia. (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Sri Lanka)
26-1-2005 Stories from the field Includes Photo
First contact in 22 years Few people in Iraq have not suffered from the tragic consequences of the series of wars. For Farida it all began in 1981 when her family was forced to go to Iran. She remained in Iraq with no news from her relatives for 22 years. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Iraq)
31-7-2003 Stories from the field Includes PDF, Photo
Video Collection
Reuniting families in the Democratic Republic of the Congo "Living alone without your parents, it is very difficult" says Nathalie. She has spent almost two years without her family. And many other children in this huge country are still separated from their families. But the Democratic Republic of the Congo is moving towards reunification, tracing activities are proceeding apace and families are being reunited more often. (Info resources\Video\Africa)
20-11-2003 Video Collection Includes Video
Two videos on ICRC tracing activities in Angola In the first film, two children are reunited with their families. The second film shows how media are being used to locate missing people. (Info resources\Video\Africa)
29-5-2003 Video Collection Includes Video
More in this section
Restoring family links – project bulletin No. 2 Building on the Agenda for Humanitarian Action adopted by the 28th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in 2003, the ICRC has launched a global initiative to strengthen the Red Cross and Red Crescent Family Links Network over the coming decade. The purpose of the project is to build a dynamic network of tracing services that can respond quickly and efficiently to the needs of separated families. (ICRC Activities\Protection\Restoring family links)
Restoring family links – project bulletin No. 1 In December 2004, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement launched a project to develop its work on restoring family links. The aim is to meet the humanitarian needs of people separated from their families. Project Bulletin No. 1 explains the main phases of creating a strategy for the coming ten years. (ICRC Activities\Protection\Restoring family links)
30-11-2005
Hurricane Katrina: putting people back in touch In the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, tens of thousands of American Red Cross volunteers took part in relief efforts on behalf of those affected. Working closely with the American Red Cross the ICRC was also involved, especially in the field of tracing services. (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\United States)
22-9-2005 Includes Photo
The International Tracing Service – 50 years on The International Tracing Service came into being in its present form through the Bonn Agreements of 6 June 1955. It has the mammoth task of gathering, filing, preserving and processing the personal records of civilians who were persecuted under the Third Reich.
(About the ICRC\History\Second World War)
3-6-2005
Bosnia and Herzegovina: summer break for "children of the missing" The ICRC recently helped the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina to organize a summer camp for 60 children of families who still have relatives missing as a result of the conflict there. Sanela Bajrambasic, at the ICRC delegation in Sarajevo, sent this report. (The ICRC worldwide\Western and Central Europe and the Balkans\Bosnia-Herzegovina)
7-9-2004
Angola's lost children An audio programme from Radio Netherlands on family tracing actions in which the ICRC takes part. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Angola)
3-6-2003
ICRC special report: Unknown fate, untold grief ICRC activities on behalf of missing persons and their families from the conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Federal Republic of Yugoslavia/Kosovo (The ICRC worldwide\Western and Central Europe and the Balkans)
War and family links: Steps towards reunification Laws exist which protect children in the midst of armed conflict; laws guaranteeing their right to life, dignity and other basic rights. The ICRC insists that these laws should be applied and implemented. Furthermore, to reinforce the existing law, it is essential to ensure that relevant provisions of international humanitarian law are respected and implemented so that the basic rights of children, as well as their right to life and to dignity can be guaranteed. (ICRC Activities\Protection\Restoring family links)
16-7-2002 Includes Photo
War and family links: do you know this child? Of all recent humanitarian disasters, the events in Rwanda surrounding the genocide of an estimated 800,000 people, other grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, the sheer scale and speed of the mass flight of over two million people mainly to neighbouring countries, surpass ordinary experience or the worst imagining. They created a crisis of such proportions that every Rwandan is said to have lost touch with at least one member of his or her immediate family. (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Rwanda)
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