Applying a Victim-centered Approach in the Search Process of Missing Persons in Colombia

The UBPD and JRR Expert in action in Sincé, Sucre. Photo credits: Caracol Radio and UBPD.

Thank you to Caracol Radio for featuring the work of Colombia’s Unit for the Missing (UBPD), the primary unit in Colombia for addressing enforced disappearances, which we were proud to support with a JRR Forensic Expert.

During the deployment of the JRR Expert in Sincé, Sucre, the Unit could successfully recover and proceed with the forensic analysis of 18 bodies of missing persons in the context of the armed conflict.

To secure a survivor-centred approach all along the process, families were actively involved in the search. This participatory approach has proven highly valuable, as it not only accelerated the State’s humanitarian and extrajudicial response in the search for missing persons, but also provided families and organizations involved in the search with timely results about their loved ones.

Families also had the opportunity to be present during the excavations and exhumations, and to directly share their concerns with the forensic team.

JRR will continue working with hand-in-hand with families of missing persons to ensure their needs are being heard in the search of their relatives.

To article. 

You can also learn more about the work of the UBPD and our expert on Infobae.