Reuniting Families Separated by War

During the civil war in El Salvador in the 1980s, thousands of children were separated from their parents. Many were forcibly taken from their families by the military, while others were lost in the chaos of combat.

International Forensic Program

Our Work with the Missing and the Disappeared

The "disappeared" are persons who have been taken into custody by agents of the state, yet their custody is denied and their whereabouts and fate are not revealed.

Not knowing the fate or whereabouts of a loved one who has been forcibly disappeared causes continuous despair for family members. For many, life is suspended by a consuming uncertainty. Not knowing whether to grieve a death or feel hopeful for the return of their loved one only compounds the trauma associated with the disappearance.

For the past 20 years, the International Forensic Program at Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) has been supporting efforts to locate and identify persons, living or deceased, who were victims of involuntary / enforced disappearances or who went missing in the context of an armed conflict. We believe in honoring victims' rights and each individual's right to know the truth.

Our Work With the Disappeared of El Salvador

The International Forensic Program at Physicians for Human Rights continues to support efforts to identify persons who disappeared during the civil war in El Salvador.
> Read about our work in El Salvador with the organization Pro-Busqueda

If you believe you were separated from your family during the 1980-1992 civil war in El Salvador and may have biological relatives searching for you, you are encouraged to

Visit Pro-Búsqueda's website ; and
Contact Rachel Shigekane of the Human Rights Center at the University of California at Berkeley via email or by phone at (510) 642-0965 ; or
Contact Pro-Búsqueda directly via email

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