Hundreds of thousands of people disappear in the world every year due to various causes, including armed conflicts, violence, natural disasters and on the migration route. In this context, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Playing For Change launched a campaign whose main piece is a video in which more than 40 musicians from the five continents participate who put their talent into action to highlight this global problem.
The artists covered U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I Am Looking For” to tell the families of the missing people that they are not alone and deserve to have an answer. Together, and through music, they accompany the relatives in their search.” This is the most important video we’ve ever made because it connects us to the roots of our humanity and directly questions what kind of world we want to live in. One thing I’ve learned is that a song can change the world because together we change the world. When we feel something, we have the power to act accordingly,” said Mark Johnson of Playing For Change.
A disappeared person is one whose whereabouts are unknown to his or her relatives or who, according to reliable information, has been reported missing, in accordance with domestic law, in connection with an armed conflict, other situations of violence, a natural disaster or any other event that may require the intervention of a competent public authority. That is why, in December 2010, the United Nations General Assembly expressed its concern “about the increase in enforced or involuntary disappearances in various regions of the world, such as arrests, detentions and abductions” and about the growing number of reports of “acts of harassment, ill-treatment and intimidation suffered by witnesses of disappearances or relatives of people who have disappeared”. When time doesn’t heal wounds
In most countries affected by this phenomenon, the lack of centralized information makes it difficult to calculate the exact number of missing persons. Despite this, the magnitude of the problem is arguably enormous. The disappearance of a person causes a long-term impact on the lives of their family, their community and society at large.
They live in limbo as they cannot grieve for their loved ones, since they have no certainty about what has happened to them. They seek them out and wait – in many cases, for years – without knowing whether they are alive or dead, believing and trusting against all hope, without being able to have a closure.
The psychological and emotional suffering is intense. In addition, as if the pain were not enough, family members who lose the breadwinner often go through deep economic difficulties. Security can also be a source of concern: they fear retaliation for seeking answers. They live with anguish, guilt and helplessness. In many cases, when a loved one who has disappeared does not have a defined legal status, their family members cannot access basic services, which prevents them from moving forward.
