Geneva: Governments must act swiftly and collectively to prevent the increasing number of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers who go missing, including those subjected to enforced disappearance, a UN human rights expert warned the Human Rights Council on Friday.
Gehad Madi, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, presented his latest report to the Council during its 59th session, calling the disappearance of migrants "a largely overlooked human rights issue."
Madi emphasized that countries of origin, transit, and destination share a joint responsibility to implement robust systems of cooperation aimed at preventing such disappearances. He stressed that when migrants do go missing, it is essential to carry out thorough investigations and hold perpetrators accountable.
Several factors contribute to the crisis, Madi noted, including perilous migration routes through remote regions where humanitarian assistance is scarce. In addition, detention and deportation policies—especially those involving third-country agreements lacking proper safeguards—put migrants at greater risk.
The report also pointed to the impact of border practices such as systematic family separation and mass expulsions without proper individual assessment, commonly known as pushbacks. These actions significantly increase the risk of disappearance.
Delays or outright failures in conducting search and rescue operations are another key factor, Madi said, often leading to preventable tragedies. He also cited the role of criminal smuggling and trafficking networks, occasionally operating with the complicity—or at least the tacit approval—of State authorities.
The report underlined the troubling lack of reliable data on missing or forcibly disappeared migrants. The current statistics are incomplete and likely underestimate the true scale of the crisis, contributing to what Madi called the “invisibility” of the problem.
Families of the disappeared endure ongoing trauma due to the absence of information about the fate or whereabouts of their loved ones. “The absence of proper search mechanisms only deepens their uncertainty and denies them justice and the right to know the truth,” he said.
While acknowledging the complexities of addressing cross-border disappearances, Madi insisted these challenges must not serve as an excuse for inaction. He urged States to move away from punitive or militarized approaches to migration and instead adopt policies rooted in human rights.
Among his recommendations, the Special Rapporteur called on States to broaden safe and legal migration channels, boost humanitarian aid along migration routes, and create mechanisms for truth, monitoring, and accountability to prevent future abuses.
“Respecting human rights must be central to migration governance,” Madi concluded.
