Restoring family links: the agony of separation and the joy of reunification
(Cairo, ICRC) Family separation can be one of the most difficult things a person can endure. Losing contact and not knowing the fate of a loved one can cause immense suffering to people. Every year, armed conflicts, other situations of violence, natural disasters and migration split up countless families, forcing them to cope with the uncertainty and the agony of losing contact with their loved ones.
Acknowledging this pressing humanitarian need, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been working to help reconnect separated families and address the issue of missing persons for more than 150 years.
The ICRC and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies work together around the world to locate people and put them back into contact with their relatives. This work, called Restoring Family Links (RFL), includes tracing family members, re-establishing and maintaining contact, reuniting families (under very specific circumstances) and seeking to clarify the fate and whereabouts of those who remain missing.
In Egypt, the ICRC provides RFL activities that include putting people in contact via telephone, internet, and hand-written messages, as well as tracing of missing persons. These services have helped hundreds of people to restore contact with their loved ones.
Egypt serves as a transit country on migrant routes from Africa and from co