‘The International Day of the Disappeared on August 30 is a United Nations-recognised annual commemoration day for individuals who have gone missing in conflicts or armed violence whose fate is unresolved.

The British Red Cross International Tracing and Message Service aims to mark the plight of their families on this day. The service aims to assist worldwide to discover the fate of those missing due to war or disaster. In addition it helps families stay in touch when normal means of communication have broken down because of conflict or disaster through the exchange of family news in Red Cross messages.

The British Red Cross helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies. We enable vulnerable people in the UK and abroad to prepare for and withstand emergencies in their own communities. And when the crisis is over, we help them to recover and move on with their lives.

For more information about the work that the British Red Cross does please visit www.redcross.org.uk