The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is observed every year on August 30 to raise awareness of enforced disappearances and the rights of victims and their families.
The United Nations General Assembly established the day in 2010, with the first observance held in 2011.
The UN defines enforced disappearance as the arrest, detention or abduction of people against their will, followed by a refusal to acknowledge their detention or disclose their fate or whereabouts.
The practice can violate several fundamental rights, including the right to liberty and security, recognition before the law and protection from torture.
The UN says families of disappeared people also suffer, often enduring years of uncertainty over whether their loved ones are alive and where they may be.
They have a right to know the truth about what happened.
The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2006.
