NEWS

More and more families finding missing relatives thanks to Trace the Face
On this International Day of the Disappeared, Red Cross National Societies in Europe and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) wish to draw the attention to the suffering of migrants and their families looking for missing loved ones. Each year, thousands of migrants go missing on their way to Europe. Families get separated during their journey, without a clue of where their relative is. To help families find missing loved, the Red Cross launched in 2013 an online tool called Trace the Face. www.tracetheface.org allows anyone separated from their loved ones to post a picture of themselves to advertise their search.

Since the beginning of 2017, more people have found each other thanks to Trace the Face than in all 2016. Reconnecting people often takes time and, during that period of separation, families are in pain. This year, Trace the Face helped 21 people finally find one or several family members. Last year, they were 19.

More and more people are uploading their pictures to find their missing relatives. Since 2013, above 3 000 people have posted their pictures on Trace the Face. They mainly come from the Middle-East, Afghanistan, Western Africa and the Horn of Africa. The website is now available in 7 different languages which brings it closer to the people who are most in need of our services.

In order to help more people looking for their relatives and increase the possibilities of finding them, Trace the Face is now growing outside of Europe. ICRC delegations in Africa and Asia as well as other non-European Red Cross & Red Crescent National Societies, have started using Trace the Face. Other ICRC delegations and National Societies, from different continents, are soon joining the initiative.