In 1983, the 30th of August has been consecrated "International Day for the Disappeared". Each year, it is the occasion to evoke these dramatic situations endured by thousands of persons.
The causes of disappearances are numerous; they go from armed conflicts to natural catastrophes. During the last decade, floods, earthquakes and hurricanes are responsible for the major part of disappearances.
Toll of the last disasters:
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- 2004 : 150 000 missing persons after the South-East Asia Tsunami.
- 2005 : More than 10 000 missing people after Hurricane Katrina.
- 2008 : No less than 40 000 disappeared after cyclone Nargis ravaged Myanmar.
- 2010 : More than 100 000 disappeared after the earthquake in Haiti.
The floods currently striking pakistan bode nothing good for the numerous families, which are often left to themselves. Overwhelmed by the emergency, governmental authorities and NGOs are not capable of delivering systematised solutions for the particular issue of missing persons. Innovative solutions remain too often marginal and punctual. In this context, searchs can last months, even years, without even delivering results.
By developing MISSING, the search engine for missing people, the Red Helmets Foundation committed itself to solving this issue. Designed as a collaborative platform, MISSING aims at centralising information that can be found on the web and at optimising the contribution of potential witnesses. This internet website, developed in partnership with Bearstech and European Consulting Services, uses the power of social networks to ease the search for missing persons.
Launch of MISSING: January 2011
Photography : Juiy 2006. A man goes through photos of missing peopl in Guatemala (Rights Reserved).
