STANDARDS FOR RESTORING FAMILY LINKS (RFL)

Tracing missing persons is a serious challenge for members of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s Global Family Links Network worldwide. The Ukrainian Red Cross Tracing Service is part of this network, which includes 81 delegations of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and 150 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The loss of a loved one — whether they went missing during a war, a natural disaster, or as a result of displacement — is always an indescribable pain for family members. Today, the issue of missing persons is particularly acute and sensitive for people in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Red Cross has been carrying out tracing and RFL activities since 1992 in line with the provisions of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which includes the right to know. Its work is legally grounded in:

• The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols (GC III, Arts. 122–125; GC III, Art. 71; GC IV, Art. 25; AP I, Arts. 32–34; GC IV, Arts. 25–26; AP I, Art. 74), ratified by Ukraine in 1954 and 1989, which provide the legal basis for RFL activities within the Network, ensuring people’s fundamental right to restore contact with their relatives and to know the fate of loved ones.
• Resolutions of various International Conferences, which define the role of the Movement in restoring family links for people affected by armed conflicts.
• The Law of Ukraine “On the Ukrainian Red Cross Society” (28 November 2002).
• A special decree of the Government of Ukraine (7 September 1993), which officially recognised the tracing activities of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and obliged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service, and the Main Archives to provide the information necessary for effective tracing operations.

Tracing activities are one of the priority areas of the Ukrainian Red Cross, in line with its Statutes.

A nationwide Ukrainian Red Cross Restoring Family Links (RFL) Network has been established, with members adhering to the principles of neutrality and impartiality, as well as to common standards and criteria.

The main tasks of the Tracing Service are to carry out tracing and family links restoration activities (regardless of nationality or citizenship) for people who have lost contact with their relatives due to the international armed conflict in Ukraine, contemporary armed conflicts, World War II, natural or man-made disasters, emergencies, or migration processes worldwide. These activities are carried out in cooperation with partners within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement abroad, as well as with partner organisations in Ukraine.

• RFL during the international armed conflict in Ukraine.
• Tracing and RFL in the context of wars and armed conflicts worldwide.
• Tracing and RFL for migrants and refugees.
• Emergency preparedness and rapid response for RFL operations.
• Processing humanitarian requests.

The Tracing Programme does not handle requests related to searching for biological parents, unpaid child support, personal documents (such as birth, marriage, or death certificates), World War II evacuation records, or inheritance matters.

Since 24 February 2022, the primary focus of the Tracing Service has been handling family requests to locate relatives — both civilians and military personnel — with whom contact has been lost due to the war in Ukraine, whether within the country or abroad.

The Ukrainian Red Cross Tracing Service operates in accordance with the principles and standards of the Global RFL Network. To ensure the most effective tracing work, specific criteria have been established for accepting tracing requests for consideration.

1. Who may submit a request: A request should ideally be submitted by a close relative of the missing person (parents, children, siblings, husband, or wife). If no close relatives are available, other individuals may submit a request. In other cases, requests to trace close relatives may be considered if there are valid reasons for the loss of contact.
2. Relevance to the Tracing Programme: The issue raised by the requester must fall within the activities of the Ukrainian Red Cross Tracing Service. Important: requests for tracing abroad are accepted only if they meet the criteria of the National Societies’ tracing services in other countries.
3. Reliability of information: The information provided by the requester must be accurate and sufficient to identify the person being traced.
4. Prior efforts: The requester should have already undertaken their own efforts to trace the person (e.g., contacting authorities, searching social media, etc.).

The Tracing and Restoring Family Links Service of the Ukrainian Red Cross is available to everyone living in Ukraine who needs assistance in locating a missing family member.

All tracing and family link restoration services are provided free of charge and respect the right to privacy, in line with the principle of confidentiality.

Requests to trace missing relatives can be submitted:

• At the nearest Ukrainian Red Cross office (to facilitate ongoing contact with the regional branch in your area).
• Via the Ukrainian Red Cross hotline: 0 800 332 656.
• By email: rfl@redcross.org.ua (to help us process your request more quickly, please include the full name and date of birth of the person being traced, your full name, your region of residence in Ukraine, and a contact phone number).
• At the nearest Ukrainian Red Cross office or the offices of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in your country of residence or temporary stay (if abroad), where you can receive guidance and, if necessary, assistance with submitting a tracing request.