The Lingering Agony of Enforced Disappearances
Seeking Truth and Closure
Can someone explain to me, whether I am a wife or the widow of Shabir Baloch…? Who was allegedly abducted by security forces from Dist Kech on 4th Oct 2016, protested Zarina Baloch.
The Human Cost
“I need to know the truth,” says the grieving mother. “Even if it would be too bitter for me, it would be the end of my suffering.” Many wives begged to be taken along with their husbands. Some asked to be killed in his place so that their children would be provided for. Having no tombs to visit, between hope and despair, dwelling in a living hell, the countless members and relatives of missing persons.
Violations of Human Rights
Every year, ordinary people fall victim to enforced disappearance and vanish without a trace after being abducted or detained by government officials or those acting with their tacit will. Those responsible often refuse to acknowledge the occurrence of disappearances or may even excuse them as part of counter-terrorism activities.
Legal and Moral Imperatives
Authoritarian regimes along with their proxies try to instill fear and maintain control by disappearing human rights advocates, political activists, environmental defenders, journalists, students and also children. This practice is an egregious violation of human rights prohibited under International as well as domestic laws, yet continues to be used to silence dissent.
The Right to Know
People have the right to know what happened to their missing relatives. Governments and military authorities have a responsibility to provide information and assist efforts to put families back together. Missing people is a psycho social phenomenon with a heavy societal cost associated with it, particularly children.
The Agonizing Wait
It is a tragedy for the person who disappears, but the other victims are the families suspended in limbo, suspecting their loved ones are dead, yet unable to mourn, and in the absence of proof constantly tormented by the possibility of a miracle.
Financial and Emotional Toll
Many spend years, and their life savings, in a fruitless search. Stories are rife of racketeers posing as lawyers, taking money from desperate families in return for legal aid that never delivers. Many times it is the breadwinner who goes missing. Left to support the family, mothers and wives often face a life of poverty.
International Legal Framework
The right to know the fate of a relative is a fundamental concern of International Humanitarian and Human Rights law. International law is clear: it is illegal to make people disappear, and next-of-kin must be informed about captured, wounded, or deceased relatives without delay.
Challenges in Justice
The challenge is to ensure that States adopt and implement such rules. Countless families not knowing whether their loved ones are alive or dead, are unable to put behind them the violent events that disrupted their lives, their anxiety continues for years and years.
Call for Action
The right course to unravel the mystery of the disappeared lies with the government authorities and court to follow the faultless way of presenting the suspects in the court of law. Families waiting for information on the fate and whereabouts of their relatives have specific needs, including the need for administrative, economic, and psycho social support, the need to have their suffering acknowledged, and the need for justice.
