International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is observed each 30 August since 2011 by the decision of UN General Assembly on 21 December 2010 (resolution 65/209 the UN General Assembly). 

Enforced disappearance has frequently been used as a strategy to spread terror within the society. The feeling of insecurity generated by this practice is not limited to the close relatives of the disappeared, but also affects their communities and society as a whole.

Enforced disappearance has become a global problem and is not restricted to a specific region of the world. Once largely the product of military dictatorships, enforced disappearances can nowadays be perpetrated in complex situations of internal conflict, especially as a means of political repression of opponents. Of particular concern are:
 * the ongoing harassment of human rights defenders, relatives of victims, witnesses and legal counsel dealing with cases of enforced disappearance;
 * the use by States of counter-terrorist activities as an excuse for breaching their obligations;
 * and the still widespread impunity for enforced disappearance.

Special attention must also be paid to specific groups of especially vulnerable people, like children and people with disabilities.