Calls for justice as world marks day to honour victims of enforced disappearances
The UN General Assembly resolved to earmark this day on December 21, 2010, following deep concern about the increase in enforced or involuntary disappearances in various regions of the world.
Kenyans on Saturday, August 30, joined the world in marking the United Nations Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances with tributes to Gen Z protesters who went missing during the heightened political period spanning from June 25, 2024, to this year.
The UN General Assembly resolved to earmark this day on December 21, 2010, following deep concern about the increase in enforced or involuntary disappearances in various regions of the world, including arrest, detention and abduction, when these are part of or amount to enforced disappearances, and by the growing number of reports concerning harassment, ill-treatment and intimidation of witnesses of disappearances or relatives of persons who have disappeared.
By the same resolution, the Assembly welcomed the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and decided to declare August 30 the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, to be observed beginning in 2011.
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"On this International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, UN experts recall that Enforced Disappearances constitute a violation of the prohibition of torture & other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment that must be condemned, prevented and eradicated through collective action," the UN urged on Saturday.
The UN describes enforced disappearance as when persons are arrested, detained or abducted against their will or otherwise deprived of their liberty by officials of different branches or levels of government, or by organized groups or private individuals acting on behalf of, or with the support, direct or indirect, consent or acquiescence of the government, followed by a refusal to disclose the fate or whereabouts of the persons concerned or a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of their liberty, which places such persons outside the protection of the law.
The commission of the act violates several universal human rights, including the right to a fair trial, the right to health, the right to education, the right to an adequate standard of living, the right to life in the event the victim is killed, the right to liberty, and the right to security, among others.
"Today is the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Since the June 2024 protests, several young Kenyans have been abducted and have been missing for over a year. Today, we are going to speak for them," @IamChege stated in a post on X.
Amnesty International Kenya noted that while the injustice of enforced disappearances can feel overwhelming, individuals and communities around the world have shown that solidarity, pressure, and persistence can lead to answers and sometimes even accountability. Many enforced disappearances do not get enough attention.
"You can help change that. Share information on social media using hashtags like EndEnforcedDisappearances and IDVED2025, and talk to your community about the people who have disappeared," the organisation said.
"Today, 30 August, is International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances. We remember the missing, stand with their families, and call for truth and justice for all around the globe. They embody the Church's call to remember, to resist forgetting, and to uphold human dignity," the Embassy of the Order of Malta to Kenya says.
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