More than a human rights
violation against
an individual
Enforced disappearance has frequently been used as a strategy to spread terror within the society. The feeling of insecurity generated by this practice is not limited to the close relatives of the disappeared, but also affects their communities and society as a whole.
Enforced disappearance has become a global problem and is not restricted to a specific region of the world. Once largely the product of military dictatorships, enforced disappearances can nowadays be perpetrated in complex situations of internal conflict, especially as a means of political repression of opponents. Of particular concern are:
the ongoing harassment of human rights defenders, relatives of victims, witnesses and legal counsel dealing with cases of enforced disappearance;
the use by States of counter-terrorist activities as an excuse for breaching their obligations;
and the still widespread impunity for enforced disappearance.
Special attention must also be paid to specific groups of especially vulnerable people, like children and people with disabilities.
Hundreds of thousands of people have vanished during conflicts or periods of repression in at least 85 countries around the world.
Who Is Affected?
The Victims Themselves
The victims are frequently tortured and in constant fear for their lives. They are well aware that their families do not know what has become of them and that the chances are slim that anyone will come to their aid. Having been removed from the protective precinct of the law and “disappeared” from society, they are in fact deprived of all their rights and are at the mercy of their captors.
Even if death is not the final outcome and the victim is eventually released from the nightmare, the physical and psychological scars of this form of dehumanization and the brutality and torture which often accompany it remain.
A Serious Violation of Human Rights
Having been removed from the protective precinct of the law and "disappeared" from society, victims of enforced disappearance are in fact deprived of all their rights and are at the mercy of their captors. Some of the human rights that enforced disappearances regularly violate are:
The right to recognition as a person before the law;
The right to liberty and security of the person;
The right not to be subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;
The right to life, when the disappeared person is killed;
The right to an identity;
The right to a fair trial and to judicial guarantees;
The right to an effective remedy, including reparation and compensation;
The right to know the truth regarding the circumstances of a disappearance.
Enforced disappearances also generally violate various economic, social and cultural rights for both the victims as well as their families:
The right to protection and assistance to the family;
The right to an adequate standard of living;
The right to health;
The right to education.
#PEACE #HEALTH #UN #DPCW_1038 #HWPL #HUMAN_RIGHTS
#NO_VIOLATIONS #LIFE #EDUCATION
SOURCED BY : WWW.UN.ORG
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