Geneva, The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) has published its findings on the state of enforced disappearances in Cambodia, Burkina Faso, and Honduras, highlighting major concerns and issuing recommendations to combat this grave human rights violation. Following its latest session, the Committee reviewed the three States parties’ adherence to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, commending positive steps where noted but also calling for significant improvements in several areas.
According to Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in Cambodia, the Committee pinpointed the country’s inadequate legal framework for promptly investigating alleged enforced disappearances and the absence of detailed information on efforts to search for and identify disappeared individuals. It emphasized the need for Cambodia to probe all alleged cases of enforced disappearance swiftly, prosecute and appropriately penalize the perpetrators, and ensure thorough searches for the disappeared, involving their families in the process and returning the remains of the deceased.
The Committee also voiced concern over Cambodia’s handling of illegal intercountry adoptions linked to corruption and trafficking, urging the establishment of procedures to review and annul adoptions resulting from enforced disappearance and to restore the true identity of adopted children.
In Burkina Faso, the CED expressed apprehension regarding decrees related to general mobilization that could lead to enforced disappearances and reported allegations targeting various groups, including human rights defenders and ethnic communities. It reminded the State that no exceptional circumstance justifies enforced disappearance, even under anti-terrorism efforts, and called for the preservation and forensic examination of identified mass graves.
Honduras was criticized for the high level of impunity in enforced disappearance cases and the burdens placed on families of disappeared migrants to lead search and identification efforts. The Committee urged Honduras to collaborate with countries of origin and destination, involve victims and civil society in search efforts, issue humanitarian visas, and enhance judicial cooperation with regional states.
Additionally, the Committee recommended the establishment of a consolidated register of disappeared persons in Honduras to include comprehensive and updated data on disappearances, discoveries, and state involvement.
The session also saw the adoption of a report on the urgent action mechanism, outlining trends and sharing insights gained over 12 years of its implementation. The Committee’s Concluding Observations and other session documents offer a roadmap for the three countries to address and mitigate the impact of enforced disappearances on individuals and their communities.