Hundreds gathered and attended the very first World Congress on Enforced Disappearances launched in Geneva, Switzerland on January 15-16. Relatives of disappeared, human rights organizations, representatives of governments and international institutions gathered together to collectively promote and campaign for the cessation of the heinous crime of enforced disappearance.

Various discussions were held on the two-day activity organized by the United Nations (UN) Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED), UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID), the UN Human Rights Office, and the Convention Against Enforced Disappearances Initiative (CEDI).

They opened congress by bringing victims’ families together on stage and sharing their experiences and the impact of this crime on individuals and communities. This was followed by discussions of the international community’s responsibility to the disappeared, strengthening search procedures, and protecting victims, rights defenders, lawyers and journalists.

In his speech, Nada Al-Nashif, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, called for a stricter and coordinated global action for the disappeared. She urged congressional delegates to “join forces, share knowledge and lessons, and strengthen cooperation and political commitment to tackle this dreadful crime.”

The subsequent and related activities that they will launch for the continuous campaign were also laid out in congress. This includes supporting the formation of a victim-led regional network in Sub-Saharan Africa, organization of regular meetings of women searchers, monitoring Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) sessions, promotion of ratification of International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance, strengthening the capacity of socio-civic organizations to engage with UN mechanisms, and support the creation of a global network of youth against enforced disappearances.

Currently, the International Convention has only been ratified by 77 states worldwide. The Government of the Republic of the Philippines is not among those who signed and support it. Under the current Marcos regime, Ang Bayan recorded at least 153 victims of abduction. Of these, at least 43 are disappeared and have yet to be located. Meanwhile, 32 of the abductees were murdered, 29 were imprisoned, 10 were made to appear “surrender,” and 39 were surfaced but still harassed by the state. Ten of the victims were children who were taken “hostage” by the military. Many of the cases were recorded in the countryside amid heavy military combat operations.

Karapatan shared that Edita Burgos, mother of desaparecidos Jonas Burgos, an activist, serves as the leader of the Desaparecidos (Pamilya ng Desaparecidos para sa Katarungan) (Family of the Desaparecidos for Justice) and is currently Karapatan vice president. Burgos shared her experience and spoke at one of the discussions.