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Red Cross calls for more action to help relatives of missing persons
news.am
March 07, 2012 | 19:35
Although the vast majority of people who go missing in connection with
armed conflict are men, the mothers, wives and other family members
they leave behind also suffer enormously and often face severe
hardship. On the occasion of International Women's Day, the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is calling for more
action to help these women meet their specific needs and regain
dignity and hope, while emphasizing the responsibility of parties to a
conflict to search for the missing and provide information for the
families.
`Women all over the world have shown an extraordinary capacity to
overcome hardship and take their fate into their own hands,' said
Maria-Teresa Garrido Otoya, the ICRC's adviser on issues relating to
women and war. `Given half a chance, they find novel and effective
ways of providing for themselves and their families.'
Beyond the anguish of not knowing what happened to their husbands,
sons or other relatives, women and girls in these situations typically
face daunting practical difficulties. Because in many cases they have
lost a breadwinner, they struggle to provide such basic necessities as
food for their families and education for their children.
`They also face legal and administrative challenges when it comes to
such things as claiming their husband's property or their eligibility
for public assistance to ease their families' economic hardship,' said
Ms Garrido Otoya.
`In addition, they are often stigmatized in their communities. For
example, not knowing whether their spouses are alive or dead, many do
not dress or behave like widows. Their communities are unable to
understand their behaviour, leaving them with no one to turn to for
support.'
The ICRC endeavours to provide a whole range of support to address the
specific needs of women with missing loved ones. In Libya, families
are still approaching the organization on a daily basis in the hope
that it can help find out what became of their loved ones. In Iraq,
the ICRC supports women whose husbands have gone missing by helping
them set up small income-generating activities, like running a shop or
working as a hairdresser.
In Armenia, for the mothers, sisters and daughters of the missing the
daily endeavours are often coupled with the desire to preserve the
place of their loved ones in the community.
`The families often initiate and organise commemoration of special
days dedicated to the missing loved ones, naming classrooms after the
missing relatives at schools where they have once studied,
establishing museums and erecting monuments in their communities,'
Roubina Tahmazian, Psychosocial Delegate of the ICRC Delegation in
Armenia said. The ICRC also assists in bringing the families of
missing in Armenia together, encouraging them to find more ways to
honour their loved ones and enhancing mutual courage to better cope
with their difficult situation.
Under international humanitarian law, everyone has the right to know
what happened to missing relatives. It is the responsibility of
parties to a conflict to search for the missing and to provide the
families with information on their fate, and this obligation continues
after the end of the armed conflict. The authorities must see to it
that the needs of the families of missing persons are met. The most
effective and appropriate way of doing so is to provide women heading
households with the tools to fend for themselves without outside help.
news.am
March 07, 2012 | 19:35
Although the vast majority of people who go missing in connection with
armed conflict are men, the mothers, wives and other family members
they leave behind also suffer enormously and often face severe
hardship. On the occasion of International Women's Day, the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is calling for more
action to help these women meet their specific needs and regain
dignity and hope, while emphasizing the responsibility of parties to a
conflict to search for the missing and provide information for the
families.
`Women all over the world have shown an extraordinary capacity to
overcome hardship and take their fate into their own hands,' said
Maria-Teresa Garrido Otoya, the ICRC's adviser on issues relating to
women and war. `Given half a chance, they find novel and effective
ways of providing for themselves and their families.'
Beyond the anguish of not knowing what happened to their husbands,
sons or other relatives, women and girls in these situations typically
face daunting practical difficulties. Because in many cases they have
lost a breadwinner, they struggle to provide such basic necessities as
food for their families and education for their children.
`They also face legal and administrative challenges when it comes to
such things as claiming their husband's property or their eligibility
for public assistance to ease their families' economic hardship,' said
Ms Garrido Otoya.
`In addition, they are often stigmatized in their communities. For
example, not knowing whether their spouses are alive or dead, many do
not dress or behave like widows. Their communities are unable to
understand their behaviour, leaving them with no one to turn to for
support.'
The ICRC endeavours to provide a whole range of support to address the
specific needs of women with missing loved ones. In Libya, families
are still approaching the organization on a daily basis in the hope
that it can help find out what became of their loved ones. In Iraq,
the ICRC supports women whose husbands have gone missing by helping
them set up small income-generating activities, like running a shop or
working as a hairdresser.
In Armenia, for the mothers, sisters and daughters of the missing the
daily endeavours are often coupled with the desire to preserve the
place of their loved ones in the community.
`The families often initiate and organise commemoration of special
days dedicated to the missing loved ones, naming classrooms after the
missing relatives at schools where they have once studied,
establishing museums and erecting monuments in their communities,'
Roubina Tahmazian, Psychosocial Delegate of the ICRC Delegation in
Armenia said. The ICRC also assists in bringing the families of
missing in Armenia together, encouraging them to find more ways to
honour their loved ones and enhancing mutual courage to better cope
with their difficult situation.
Under international humanitarian law, everyone has the right to know
what happened to missing relatives. It is the responsibility of
parties to a conflict to search for the missing and to provide the
families with information on their fate, and this obligation continues
after the end of the armed conflict. The authorities must see to it
that the needs of the families of missing persons are met. The most
effective and appropriate way of doing so is to provide women heading
households with the tools to fend for themselves without outside help.