 Every year, thousands go missing around the world as a result of conflict or other forms of violence. People can be killed or imprisoned without the knowledge of their families and friends. Children, migrants and other vulnerable groups can be abducted for ransom or forced to fight. The families of the missing are plunged into an abyss of anguish and uncertainty over the fate and whereabouts of their relatives. Many spend years searching or waiting for their loved ones to return, while struggling with the ambiguity of this loss, never knowing if the person is alive or dead. Between 1986 and 2006, 75,000 people were abducted by armed groups in northern Uganda. Over 10,000 of those are still thought to be missing. Alfonso's son is one of them, taken 10 years ago and never heard of again. Alfonso has been looking for his child ever since. He's talked to other children who have managed to escape their captors, but none of them had news of Francis. In Mexico, hundreds of migrants go missing each year, attempting to cross the border into the US. Some don't survive the long and arduous journey. Others are kidnapped for ransom or killed in armed violence. His brother disappeared in 2008. He left for the United States in search of work, and told his family he'd be home in just a few months. We don't know anything about him. The disappearance of my brother Ulises has affected us a lot, because when he left, we were enraged. Until now, we have been paying for the interests of the money we had lent to us. It has affected us all, both economically and emotionally. Sometimes we meet on December 24th or 31st. Where is he? Did he eat, if he lives? If he doesn't live, where is his body, what did they do to him? It's a great pleasure. Solidad has found comfort in a friendship with Goudilia, whose husband went missing. They met at an ICRC peer support group and motivate each other to attend the meetings. They must travel by foot and bus for two days to reach Oaxaca, where the meetings are held. I have a friendship with Goudilia, we are in the same situation, we want to meet our loved ones. As well as offering peer-to-peer counselling, the meetings provide an opportunity for people looking for their relatives to make contact with the authorities and other organisations that can help them with their search. The families have many difficulties when it comes to search for the family members. They don't know which are the institutions which can help them, because there are no standard search mechanisms. Also if they get to talk to the authorities, the communication is not very regular, so they don't have feedback. Finding out the fate and whereabouts of people who have gone missing takes time. Some families wait years until they get an answer, some will never know. Helping people deal with this uncertainty is also essential. We also train forensic specialists and other government agencies to encourage better practice when it comes to documenting missing cases and identifying human remains. Families often need support during this process. We bring people together, we link them to each other, we make them share their experiences, so then this reflection always helps to resituate the families and give them the feeling that life doesn't have to be focused only on this missing person. In Uganda, peer support groups help relatives of abducted children cope with the psychological and social impact of their loss. What we have realised with these groups is that coming together, sharing this kind of talk with the families of the missing really helps a lot. When they started coming, something we can cry, it's very emotional, but as we continue for the second group now, we find the emotion is getting down, they look much happier. For Alphonse, the sessions have been a way to meet people going through a similar experience. Now he looks forward to leaving the house and attending the meetings. When I come back home, I want to talk to the people who are coming to my home. The ICRC works with community organisations to assess the needs of the people looking for their relatives and offer tailored support. It also advocates for better recognition of the difficulties relatives face and works with the authorities to reduce legal and administrative hurdles. Right now in most of the legislations, there are only two statuses, either you are dead or you are alive and there is no status for missing persons. And this is where we come in, we are advocating to introduce legal statuses for those that have disappeared and for their families. We are supporting them in the process of starting their own small businesses by giving them a loan that could help them start the business and in this way have them earn their own money instead of being in a victim position that is always just receiving assistance. In Georgia, over 2,000 families are waiting for news of loved ones lost in the conflicts that have ravaged the region over two decades. Lile's brother is suspected to have died in a plane shot down in 1993, but his remains were never found. Since her brother disappeared, Lile has become the sole breadwinner for the family, supporting her bereft mother as well as caring for her own daughter. This year, she received help to develop her jewellery business. Her creations are now for sale, not just in her workshop, but also in one of Tbilisi's most prestigious jewellers. The Georgian authorities are currently examining remains from the crash, which means that Lile may soon find out if her brother was on the plane. The possibility of getting an answer after all these years is daunting. For some families, an answer may be on the horizon, but for many others, the anguish and need for support continues. Finding a positive way to remember, celebrate or commemorate a missing person can be a great comfort to families. It can help them move on with their lives, while the search continues.