2024-02-27 15:00:00
Our organization has witnessed firsthand that despite time and obstacles, the longing of families to have a response from those they love remains.
25 years ago the Commission for Historical Clarification (CEH) presented its Report “Guatemala: memory of silence”, on victims of the internal armed conflict. In follow-up to the recommendations, February 25 was established as the National Day of Dignity for the Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict, to commemorate the more than 200,000 people who died and 45,000 who disappeared. The absence of these people continues to be one of the most painful ravages of this conflict today.
A quarter of a century has passed and the historical debt of the Guatemalan State to address the legitimate demand and right of the relatives of missing persons persists: to know what has happened to their loved ones and where they are.
In the last 27 years, since the signing of the peace agreements, the families’ desire for an answer has remained unwavering. Throughout this time, the search for missing persons, as well as the recovery, identification and return to their families of the deceased, and their support, has been tirelessly led, to a large extent, by family organizations. and civil society, whom the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has had the opportunity to accompany as part of its humanitarian work, just as it does in other parts of the world.
At an institutional level, one of the most significant advances has been the establishment in 2004 of the National Reparation Program (PNR), which officially concluded in December 2023. However, and despite its mandate, it focused mainly on economic compensation. , leaving out other key measures to achieve comprehensive reparation – individual and collective – as well as for the dignity of the victims.
Fundamental forms of reparation were left out: the establishment of a policy for searching and locating missing persons, actions to reconstruct memory, the adoption of a regulatory framework attached to international standards that contributes to ensuring that these events do not occur again, among others. .
Our organization has witnessed firsthand that despite time and obstacles, the longing of families to have a response from those they love remains. The advanced age of the family members, the deterioration of their health and even the death of many of them represent a painful reminder of the humanitarian imperative and the urgency of responding to their need to know about the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones. If this right is neglected, the Guatemalan State would continue to contribute to leaving open a wound from the past that affects both families and society as a whole.
On the National Day of Dignity for the Victims of the Internal Armed Conflict, representatives of the State join the National March for Dignity with an official commemorative act, marking a milestone and a seed of hope for thousands of victims. Integrating the experiences of families of missing persons into future government plans is crucial. The consultation and participation of affected people in human rights policies legitimizes government action and provides reparation to victims.
The ICRC, a neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian actor, reiterates its commitment to accompany the families, organizations that represent them and the country’s authorities in this process to contribute to the response desired for years by thousands of families.
Let the seed of hope flourish.
#hope #flourish #victims