International Day of the Disappeared: Supporting Those Who Wait
30 August marks the International Day of the Disappeared. This day draws attention to thousands of families around the world who continue to wait for news of their loved ones and hope to learn what has happened to them.
In Ukraine, the issue of people who have gone missing has become particularly pressing amid the full-scale war. Losing contact with a loved one can be an extremely difficult experience for a family, lasting months or even years. During this time, finding information is only part of the challenge; families also need support and assistance throughout the tracing process.
This is the work of the Ukrainian Red Cross Restoring Family Links and Tracing Service. The Service is part of the Global Family Links Network of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The Service responds to requests from families who have lost contact with loved ones due to the war and other emergencies. Specialists help families register a tracing case and, once a case has been opened, remain in contact with them, provide information and psychosocial support, and work with government authorities and other partners.
All services provided by the Restoring Family Links and Tracing Service are free of charge and delivered in accordance with the principle of confidentiality.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, families who have lost contact with loved ones have continued to turn to the Ukrainian Red Cross Tracing Service for support. The Service works with families throughout the process — from registering a request and providing ongoing support to helping establish what happened to their loved one.
Behind every request is a personal story. One such story is that of Nataliia, who waited 29 months for her son, Dmytro, a military medic who was held captive, to return.
Despite her serious health condition and the uncertainty surrounding her son’s fate, Nataliia managed to evacuate his beloved dog, Athena, from occupied Mariupol. Dmytro eventually returned home as well.
Nataliia’s story became the basis for the play In Search of Athena, staged at the Taras Shevchenko Volyn Academic Regional Ukrainian Music and Drama Theatre. Nataliia performs one of the key roles in the production, appearing as herself. Her participation in the play has become a way of supporting other families who continue to wait for their loved ones to return.
Oksana and Liubov also contributed to the creation of the video. Both have lost contact with loved ones and were invited to a performance of In Search of Athena by a Restoring Family Links specialist from the Ukrainian Red Cross Tracing Service in the Volyn region.
Their stories, together with the daily work of Tracing Service specialists across Ukraine, are a reminder that behind every tracing request are people for whom knowing what happened to a loved one matters enormously.
Watch the video about Nataliia, Dmytro and Athena’s story and learn more about the work of the Ukrainian Red Cross Tracing Service.