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Enforced disappearance: we are not helpless
Dear friends,
Last week we celebrated the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. This crime is on the rise worldwide and new challenges are emerging. The extremely vulnerable, including migrants and children, are increasingly targeted.
This realization may foster a sense of helplessness, but we have to put it into historical perspective. Enforced disappearance has been widely overlooked until very recently. 15 years ago, it even lacked a definition. Today, we are equipped to fight back.
The UN Human Rights Committee recently recognized Nepal’s responsibility in the disappearance of Danda Neupane. The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has engaged in a dialogue with Mexico to address the disappearance of hundreds of children.
We are not helpless, but it is crucial we use this legal machinery better. This is why TRIAL International is engaged in the dissemination of information and the training of human rights defenders and families of the disappeared.
A conscious use of these tools can contribute to unveiling the truth, preventing new disappearances and eventually rendering them useful… but no longer necessary.
Gabriella Citroni, Senior Legal Advisor
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