The International Committee of the Red Cross estimates that 13,595 families in Nigeria has continued to search for 23,659 missing persons, noting that 59 per cent of the victims are minors.
The ICRC stated this in a statement issued in commemoration of the International Day of the Disappeared celebrated every 30th of August.
According to the statement, most reports of missing persons are victims of enforced disappearance as a result of armed conflict and other violence, disasters and migration.
”Behind each missing person is a family living in anguish and uncertainty, struggling with the pain of not knowing what has happened to their loved one.
”This suffering is compounded by economic, legal, administrative, psychological and psychosocial challenges as well as the need for their suffering to be officially acknowledged and for someone to be held accountable,” it said.
The statement advocated for families of missing persons not to be stigmatised, accused or excluded for their attempts to clarify the fate and whereabout of their missing persons.
”Solidarity and support initiatives created by families of missing persons should be supported.
”They constantly demonstrate great resilience to overcome the challenges caused by the disappearance”.
The statement urged stakeholders to promote empathy by highlighting the impact that people going missing had on families and community.
”As we commemorate this day, we renew our commitment to advocate for the rights of the disappeared, call for increased and continuous efforts to search for missing persons and to provide answers to their families.
”Let us stand together, amplifying the voices of the families of the disappeared and work towards a world where no one must endure the pain of uncertainty.
”Continuous efforts are needed to search for those who are missing and provide information on their fate and whereabout to their families.
”Time does not heal, acknowledgement, answer and respect do,”
