The search service of the Red cross is a lifeline for many people whose relatives have disappeared in 1945 as 2018. Currently in the world is looking for more than 100,000 missing people.
The mother in Kenya, the minor daughter in Germany, and neither of the two know where the other one is a Somali family who were separated during the war. But the mother is not giving up. You missed your sister-in-law, could stay in Switzerland. The mother was informed in a refugee camp, and then writes two red cross family messages in the hope that they will reach their family members.
Family messages are open letters, which are forwarded via the global search service network to the receiver. In this case, the International Committee of the Red cross in Kenya has forwarded the messages to the Somali mother of the Swiss Red cross. In fact, the sister-in-law notified within the shortest possible time. You, in turn, has given the hint that the missing girl was in Germany – it was finally able to be with a foster family in Baden-Württemberg found. In the meantime, the woman from Somalia is of full age, and has regularly written contact with her mother in Kenya.
Without the search service of the Red cross this would not have been possible. The network consists of the International Committee of the Red cross and the tracing services of the 189 national red cross and red Crescent societies. Across national borders you determine for 71 years, missing family members and have often success.
Help in the half of the Missing
Alone in the year 2017, the service of the German Red cross (DRK) have reached 2744 new searches on relatives. It has traded most of the people who have been separated as a result of Wars or by the escape and Migration of each other. In addition, either the Missing person was presumed to be in Germany or the investigating lived at the end of already there. Main countries of origin of seekers and Sought-after goods in the past year, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia and Eritrea. In almost 50 percent of the cases, the search was able to provide service assistance.
As with the Afghan young Alireza, the mother and sister on the run had lost. The last Time they had seen in Turkey. The cases that end up in the tracing service of the Red cross, be the most difficult, explains the spokeswoman of the German Red cross, Susanne Pohl. “Most of the people have already tried to find on the Internet or phone your family. On the basis of the escape route, we try to get on all of your networks information. But there is also a Internet portal that is very up and Coming. Since the search can be set at the end of his photo.”
The Internet portal “Trace the Face” enables new ways in the International search
So the Alireza has made, and wrote: “search for mother and sister.” More to his Person is not to be found on the platform of “Trace the Face”, because the information is not harmful to the person Concerned or for the wrong people to find – for example in the track of the Fleeing politically or as a soldier, want to recruit. The German Red cross has experienced in Alirezas case, a few months later from London, where the mother and the sister have been.
Search is becoming more and more difficult
According to the Red cross at the moment, more people than ever before are missing since 1945: a worldwide 100,000 people. This is due to the large refugee movement in 2015. Alone in the first half of this year, 1.160 requests were made. In the past year, there were a total of 2,700 requests. “We expect that the Level will be so high. Although fewer refugees reach Germany, there are still many unexplained cases,” says Pohl. Challenges for the search service of the Red cross, especially the high number of cases, but also the difficulty of missing family members in war zones are to be found.
Despite the decline in refugee numbers in Germany there are many requests
For many searches, the helpers of the Red cross places from rattling along the escape route. This can take a lot of time and very difficult areas, such as Syria, particularly in war. Therefore, the Internet portal “Trace the Face is introduced in” a few years ago. But also can’t use a lot of people in war zones without an Internet connection. “Our task is to establish a connection”, – says an employee of the Red cross in Germany.
Despite the digital possibilities, there are great difficulties in the search for Missing – such as the Lack of accurate birth data or the non-uniform Transcription of the names from other languages, such as Arabic. So, for example, thousands of people are missing unaccompanied minor refugees.
Grandson looking for grandparents
In the Second world war, many people disappeared without a trace to 1.3 million chic are alone for sale from the German cleared. This is the second area of work of the tracing service of the DRK since the end of the war: To this day, he determined in such cases and seeks to clarify them. “Amazingly, there are still an increasing number of requests, we try to clarify on behalf of the Federal government,” explains Pohl. The funding may be terminated in the foreseeable future.
In Munich, the archive of the German red cross-search service
In the first half of this year, there have been about 4,800 requests for world war II missing. Often grandchildren want to know where your grandparents died or are buried. The Research in numerous archives, for there are always hints and answers to the questions of the families. “We have a huge register of Names and can always revisit old searches. Since the beginning of the 90’s, we were able to give access to ex-Soviet acts of war captured at 250,000 cases, the fate of clarifying information,” says Susanne Pohl. “This means that people could know how the grandfather died or where his grave is. This is important so that the people can complete.”