Search for the Missing
In times of armed conflict, people all too often get separated in the chaos of fighting, displacement and the struggle for survival. For families, this can mean weeks, months or even years of anguish and distress – but also of hope that their loved ones will return one day. Under the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, States have obligations to prevent people from going missing and to provide families with information if they do. In this podcast, we’re looking particularly at how these obligations are reflected in the work of the ICRC Central Tracing Agency Bureau for the international armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine (CTA Bureau) and how they help alleviate the suffering of families waiting for news.
Search for the Missing
How to Search for Missing Persons
The Geneva Conventions require all states to prevent people from going missing and to search for those who do. Jose Serralvo, ICRC legal advisor, details these obligations. He is joined by Jérôme Cassou, data manager at the ICRC CTA Bureau for the international armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, who talks about the practical ways the huge volume of information gathered by the ICRC is handled and processed to provide families with answers as quickly as possible.