We Remember president Irina Krasovskaya participated in the international experts meeting «Gendered Impacts of Enforced Disappearances» in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 17 to 19 April. She delivered her speech on April 18.

UN Women, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the International Center for Transitional Justice, in partnership with UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances co-hosted an experts meeting in the sphere of enforced disappearances. The conference brought together the Working Group members, those who have been subjected to enforced disappearances, family members of people who have disappeared as well as various experts from different disciplines from different regions of the world. Representatives of Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), Latin American Federation of Associations for Relatives of the Detained-Disappeared (FEDEFAM), International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), The Euro-Mediterranean Federation against Enforced Disappearances (FEMED) and other pronounced organizations in the field of disappearances were present.

The aim of the event organizers was to facilitate a process to support its endeavours towards building a gender approach of disappearances. The conference greatly helped the Working Group to draft appropriate conclusions and recommendations leading to the adoption of a General Comment.

The agenda was built around the three preliminary findings identified by the Working Group: women are most affected by the consequences of their relative’s disappearance; women leading the struggle against disappearances; specific vulnerability of disappeared women. Each of these aspects were addressed from different disciplinary angles and illustrated by case studies.

The speech of Irina Krasovskaya was very emotional. She told her personal story of struggle for the truth, life, inner piece of herself and her daughters. She updated her colleagues on the situation with the measures We Remember has been undertaking in order to find out the truth about the whereabouts of her husband Anatoly Krasovsky and the three other involuntary disappeared persons in Belarus.

Irina Krasovskaya pointed out the extreme importance of the adoption in 2006 of The International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances. which is momentarily signed by 91 and ratified by 32 states. She noted though that the Convention is not yet signed by Belarus. As neither the cases of the enforced disappearances of Yury Zakharenko, Viktor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky and Dmitry Zavadsky are investigated.

CIWR.ORG