Syria: For families of the missing, it is answers, not time, that will heal the pain

But this day also stands as a stark reminder of the hundreds and thousands of people missing worldwide. In Syria itself, the ICRC has registered more than 37,000 cases of missing people over the past 14 years. The long years of conflict, situations of violence, disasters and migration that the country has endured would indicate that the numbers are undeniably higher. Families, here as everywhere in the world, still wait for news, counting days without their loved ones. This day and every day we want these families to know that they are not alone, that their loved ones have not been forgotten, and that we will continue to stand by them and support them in finding the answers they deserve.

People who have gone missing have left fond memories behind, lives left interrupted, and families that are still waiting for them, still hoping that the day will come with answers to their countless questions.

For these families, every little thing brings back memories of their missing family members - an empty place at the table, a plant in the backyard, the food they used to like. The words of their missing loved ones are on replay in their heads. The emotional and mental scars won’t heal with time, but neither will their determination to get answers fade. Their hope and strength will stay no matter how long it takes them to learn the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones. Their hope and strength will stay no matter how long it takes them to learn about the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones.