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The National Conference for the Families of Missing Persons brings together families of missing persons from all communities in Sri Lanka on to a common, neutral, humanitarian space to share experiences and discuss common challenges faced in the continuous search for their missing loved ones.
Organised by the ICRC, the conference also serves as a forum for families to engage in a dialogue with the relevant authorities on how the issue of missing persons is being addressed by the authorities, allowing the families to pursue their right to know about the fate and whereabouts of their missing relative. Pictured: Hon. Minister of Justice and National Integration speaking to families of missing persons at the 2nd National Conference for Families of Missing Persons held in June 2025 in Colombo.
For families of missing persons, language is not a barrier to talk about shared pain of the past and hopes for the future. Two family members from the North and the South of Sri Lanka are seen using technology to communicate with each other at the 4th International Conference for Families of Missing Persons, hosted by ICRC delegations and Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world (November 2025).
Together, they convey a powerful message: You cannot forget the past without healing unresolved emotional pain.
Families of missing persons often experience a profound state of uncertainty defined by the lack of facts surrounding their missing loved one, referred to as ‘ambiguous loss’ in psychology. In conjunction with World Mental Health Day 2025, the ICRC hosted two conferences on Ambiguous Loss in Colombo and Batticaloa to raise awareness on the complex emotional struggles faced by families of missing persons in Sri Lanka.
The ICRC also conducts workshops and organizes lectures at universities to raise awareness on the concept of ambiguous loss, with the aim of having it added to psychology and counselling curricula.
To mark World Mental Health Day 2025, the ICRC also organised an art competition on ambiguous loss among university students, in collaboration with the Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan Faculty of Performing and Visual Arts, University of Jaffna and the University of Visual arts and Performance, Colombo.
The paintings encapsulate the frozen nature of the grief often felt by families as well as their resilience and courage and throws light on the need for greater understanding and support for families of missing persons.
“To me, the feeling of a person going missing is far more unbearable than death itself”, says Piyumi Menaka, a student at the University of Visual arts and Performance, Colombo. Piyumi’s painting portrays a mother standing at the doorstep of her home, waiting for her missing son who disappeared during the war.
This painting depicting a mother’s battle with hope and despair won the art competition marking World Mental Health Day 2025, organised by the ICRC in collaboration with the Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan Faculty of Performing and Visual Arts, University of Jaffna and University of Visual arts and Performance, Colombo.
The ICRC, in collaboration with the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI), organized a panel discussion titled “A call to preserve humanity in war: the initiative towards making IHL a global priority” in July 2025, in Colombo. The discussion introduced the recently launched ‘Global Initiative to galvanize political commitment to international humanitarian law (IHL)’ to the Sri Lankan audiences including the diplomatic community.
The Initiative reflects the urgent global need, at present, to adhere to IHL in armed conflict, considering the way in which wars are conducted today and its impact on civilians. Sri Lanka is among the States that have joined the Initiative.
The ICRC maintains close engagement with the families of individuals who went missing during the past armed conflict in Sri Lanka, particularly those who have initiated tracing requests. Through regular follow-ups, the ICRC ensures that information regarding missing persons is kept up to date, families are heard, and their questions addressed.
Follow-ups with families of missing persons also allow the ICRC to better understand the families’ needs and concerns, enabling referrals to appropriate service providers for necessary support. In 2025, the ICRC reconnected with 3,111 families, while 1,100 families were provided with information about relevant service providers and available resources to address their diverse needs.
Annual moot court competitions organised in collaboration with leading universities provides law undergraduates an opportunity to improve their understanding of the application of international humanitarian law in practical settings while promoting respect for humanitarian principles, as part of our global endeavour to alleviate suffering and harm in armed conflict and other situations of violence.
Pictured: The winning team from the University of Colombo at the 2025 Henry Dunant Moot Court Competition, organised in collaboration with the Department of Public and International law, University of Colombo.
The ICRC organised a multireligious forum examining the pivotal role of religious communities in supporting families of missing persons in November 2025. The participants explored how religious approaches can foster healing and address the pressing humanitarian needs of families of missing persons in Sri Lanka.
The protection and dignified management of deceased persons are fundamental components of any humanitarian response. In Sri Lanka, the ICRC provides technical support to the medico-legal system, forensic services, and national mechanisms tasked with the search and identification of missing persons. Additionally, the ICRC contributes to discussions on forensic-related policy matters to strengthen these efforts.
A scientific, multidisciplinary, and humanitarian-focused medico-legal system is vital for effectively addressing the identification of missing persons, particularly in large-scale scenarios stemming from past conflicts. Pictured: A forensic expert, facilitated by the ICRC, conducting a workshop on forensic anthropology with a focus on age estimation.
As part of its mission to protect and assist the victims of war and other violence, the ICRC seeks to ensure respect for international humanitarian law (IHL). The ICRC promotes and strengthens knowledge of international humanitarian law among armed and security forces and helps integrate IHL principles into their training programmes and curricula. Pictured: ICRC FAS Delegate conducting a seminar on IHL at the Defence Services Command and Staff College, Sri Lanka.
The ICRC supports the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) to strengthen their emergency preparedness and response capacity, including first aid, which is crucial in humanitarian crises. Operational cooperation also covers promoting and restoring family links for people and families separated through natural disasters and migration and advancing humanitarian principles and values to alleviate the suffering of people affected by humanitarian emergencies.
Pictured: A session on emergency response conducted by the SLRCS in Koggala, Sri Lanka.
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