Since the conflict in Nepal ended 9 years ago, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Kathmandu has been supporting the families of those who disappeared. As many as 1,343 people are still missing in the country and their families continue to live in dilemma. They feel their loved ones will never come back, but still cling to the hope that they might return one day.
As the ICRC marks International Day of the Disappeared in Nepal on 4th September 2015, the Head of the ICRC delegation in Nepal, Dragana Kojic, in this interview talks about the families of missing persons and tells us how the ‘Hateymalo’ accompaniment programme has helped them find a way to manage their grief.
Launched in 2010, Hateymalo – which in Nepali means “Joining Hands” – provides psychological, economical, legal and social-cultural support to families of missing persons and has so far helped more than 1,300 families in 43 districts across Nepal.
Nepal: Commemorating missing loved ones