Red Cross urges Iraqi families of the disappeared to seek support

Shafaq News/ On Friday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) urged Iraqis with relatives who have been forcibly disappeared to contact them for support and assistance.

In a report released on the occasion of the "International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances", the ICRC highlighted the significant challenges faced by families who have lost loved ones in obtaining necessary official documents. These challenges impact their legal status and their ability to access essential services.

The report emphasized that the pain and uncertainty felt by families when a loved one goes missing are indescribable. The situation is further aggravated by the difficulties these families encounter in navigating legal processes, obtaining civil documents, uncovering the fate and whereabouts of the missing, and identifying human remains. This burden often leads to feelings of despair.

To alleviate this suffering, the ICRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Iraqi Bar Association in February 2023 to mobilize registered lawyers to provide legal consultations and representation for families of the missing who are registered in the ICRC's accompaniment program, addressing their legal and administrative needs.

This Memorandum of Understanding was renewed in April 2024, increasing the number of families receiving support from 48 in 2023 to 420 in 2024. The coverage also expanded to include six regions where the accompaniment program is being implemented in Iraq.

The report noted that this memorandum reflects a strategic partnership between the ICRC and the Iraqi Bar Association, aiming to ease the suffering of these families in obtaining crucial civil documents, such as birth certificates, national ID cards, guardianship papers, and death certificates.

Initially, the memorandum focused on two geographic areas—Saqlawiyah in al-Anbar and Kirkuk in Iraq. In 2024, the scope was extended to include northern Babylon, Duhok, Tal Afar, Abu Maria, and Sinjar in Mosul.

The report also mentioned communication sessions between lawyers and families that took place in Saqlawiyah, with participation from the Red Cross. One participant, Sabreen Kareem, who lost her husband, stated, "This support enabled me to obtain unified national ID cards for my two children, which facilitated their access to many services and benefits, including official school registration, social welfare, and other programs provided by NGOs and government institutions."

According to Sabreen, she previously faced difficulties in obtaining official documents, which used to cost between 400,000 and 800,000 Iraqi dinars—expenses she could not afford due to the high cost of living.

The report also quoted Abdul Hamid Fadel, a volunteer lawyer involved in the project, saying, "I lost a relative, so I understand the suffering of families of the missing. The coordination between the ICRC and the Iraqi Bar Association has been so successful that I began receiving calls from other governorates, such as Saladin and Karbala, from families not referred to us by the ICRC, asking for help with document processing." This indicates the broad impact and need for this initiative.

The report noted that the Memorandum of Understanding between the Iraqi Bar Association and the ICRC has facilitated the issuance of important documents and provided legal support to this vulnerable group, directly and positively affecting the lives of many families of the missing.

Since 2021, the ICRC has been conducting a series of targeted programs in different regions of Iraq to support families of the missing, helping them cope with the "ambiguous loss" of their loved ones.

The report explained that this program aims to meet the diverse needs of these families by establishing support networks that respond to the multifaceted challenges they face due to the absence of a loved one.

The program focuses on the legal, administrative, and economic difficulties encountered by these families, and helps address their mental health and psychosocial needs by connecting them with others who are experiencing the same ordeal.

The report concluded by urging anyone residing in Iraq with a missing relative to contact the ICRC by calling the toll-free number: 80022222. A team fluent in Kurdish, Arabic, and English is available to assist.