Context

Enforced disappearances are among the human rights violations with the most profound impact on the individuals, families, communities and groups affected by them. They have a particularly devastating impact on women. They inflict such extreme levels of suffering and terror that their consequences are often passed down from one generation to the next.

Today, enforced disappearances occur in a wide range of contexts, including armed conflict, social and political repression, organized crime, hard-line security policies, and even situations linked to human mobility. The lack of truth, justice and reparation that so often accompanies enforced disappearances, combined with the absence of guarantees of non-recurrence, constitutes a major obstacle to building peaceful societies.

In the face of this reality, and in contrast to the inaction or inability of the competent authorities to search for disappeared persons and investigate these crimes, families—and women in particular—have taken the lead in searching for their disappeared loved ones and in the fight against impunity.

This commitment is not without risks. In addition to the devastating consequences of the disappearance of a loved one, those who undertake the search often face institutional indifference, contempt, stigmatization, criminalization and threats. Numerous cases have also been documented of verbal and physical attacks, as well as the killing or disappearance of searchers themselves.

States must fulfil their obligations to prevent and eradicate enforced disappearances and to combat impunity for this crime. At the same time, there is an urgent need to strengthen support for search collectives and to recognize the invaluable contribution they make to the defence of human rights and the construction of peace.

Exchange of experiences

One of the needs repeatedly expressed by searchers in different forums is the opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences with women searchers from other parts of the world; to establish dialogue and alliances that transcend borders; to recognize themselves in one another’s pain and struggles despite geographical, cultural or linguistic differences; and to jointly develop global strategies to put an end to enforced disappearances.

Among the six calls for collective action that emerged from the World Congress on Enforced Disappearances, held in Geneva in 2025, was the organization of meetings of women searchers. Inspired by the lessons learned from previous gatherings, ICIP offered its support to help advance this initiative, inviting other stakeholders to join the effort. It is from this process that the proposal for the International Meeting of Women Searchers was born.

In addition to following up on the World Congress, this meeting forms part of the CED20 commemorations, marking the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. In this context, the meeting seeks to help reinvigorate the commitment to implementing the Convention and to strengthen the international movement against enforced disappearances.