ICRC - News Release No. 17/61
30 August 2017

Geneva (ICRC) – More people than ever before are finding relatives who go missing during a migration journey or the chaos of war thanks to a Red Cross website dedicated to helping separated family members reconnect.

“My parents are alive!” Setara, a young Afghan girl, cried out in the Danish Red Cross office after learning her parents had been located. She had become separated from her family while crossing into Greece 18 months prior.

Sitara she was able to reconnect with her father and brother in Germany thanks to Trace the Face, an initiative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Red Cross national societies.

On this International Day of the Disappeared, the ICRC and Red Cross national societies in Europe wish to acknowledge the suffering of migrants and their families looking for missing loved ones. Each year, thousands of migrants go missing on their way to Europe.

One bright spot is that already this year more people have found separated family members via Trace the Face than in all of 2016. Trace the Face is a website (www.tracetheface.org) where family can look for a picture of a relative and make contact. Red Cross offices in most European countries can assist with the process. Trace the Face has helped 21 people reconnect with family so far in 2017; 19 people reconnected in all of 2016.

More than 3,000 people have posted pictures on Trace the Face, which is available in seven languages, since the service began in 2013. Most come from the Middle East, Afghanistan, west Africa and the Horn of Africa. More Red Cross societies and ICRC offices have started using Trace the Face, making the service even more effective.

On this International Day of the Disappeared, consider helping families suffering the emotional pain and anxiety of not knowing where a loved one is by advertising the Trace the Face website and Facebook page.