A UN expert on Friday urged governments worldwide to strengthen protections for migrants, warning that thousands face the risk of enforced disappearance each year.
In a recent statement, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants Gehad Madi highlighted migrants’ vulnerability to enforced disappearance. According to guidelines published by the International Committee of the Red Cross, missing persons include those whose whereabouts are unknown to their relatives or who have been reported missing because of conflict, violence, disasters, or other situations requiring state intervention. Madi stressed that many migrants disappear during their journeys, often due to detention, deportation, or trafficking. He urged all states, including countries of origin, transit, and destination, to act decisively and collaboratively to prevent such violations.
His statement is accompanied by a report, which builds upon the findings of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the Secretary General. It stresses the urgent need for states to implement robust measures to protect migrants. That includes enhanced data collection, improved search and identification procedures, and greater cooperation between countries. The report urges governments to ensure that all cases of missing migrants are promptly and thoroughly investigated, and that families receive the support and information they need.
The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance prohibits the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty with the support or acquiescence of the state. Article 1 provides that no exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may justify enforced disappearance. Article 24 obliges states to ensure justice and reparations for victims, including access to legal, psychological and medical support. The Convention has been ratified by 77 states after its adoption by the UN General Assembly in 2006.
The statement comes amidst ongoing concerns about the persistent and widespread nature of the crisis. The UN has released multiple reports on enforced disappearances in Tanzania, Mali and El Salvador this year. In many cases, the disappearances have also affected the right for immediate family members to know the truth. The expert attributes the widespread invisibility of this phenomenon to a high level of state impunity, which is in breach of Article 6 of the Convention. The call to action stresses the need to hold the perpetrators accountable, and for a rights-based approach to migration policy that prioritizes human dignity and safety.
