IJM representative speaks at first World Congress on Enforced Disappearances at the UN
Kenya
January 2025
Earlier this month, the first World Congress on Enforced Disappearances was held in Geneva.
The congress recognised the devastating impact on societies and the erosion of trust when States are responsible for the enforced disappearance of citizens.
Joseph Kariuki, Communications and Media Lead for IJM in Kenya, delivered remarks about the importance of strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations to engage with UN mechanisms.
“Despite the prevalence of these cases, many remain unreported to UN mechanisms due to inadequate documentation and capacity building.
“Together, we can enhance our advocacy efforts and ensure that voices of the disenfranchised are heard and acted upon at the international level.”
Joseph also shared online that this event was timely, as “Kenya is experiencing a spike of this serious violation of human rights, especially since the Gen Z protests in June, with over 80 cases reported by Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.
“The public narrative around this serious violation needs to change.”
What are ‘enforced disappearances’?
The UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances characterizes the crime by three cumulative elements:
1. Deprivation of liberty against the will of the person;
2. Involvement of government officials, at least by acquiescence;
3. Refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person.
Joseph has spent years working directly with families who have lost loved ones to enforced disappearances in Kenya, including supporting them to share their stories through publications like the Missing Voices report.
He shares, “A disappearance has a doubly paralysing impact: on the victim, who is removed from the protection of the law, frequently subjected to torture and in constant fear for their lives; and on their families, ignorant of the fate of their loved ones, their emotions alternating between hope and despair, wondering and waiting, sometimes for years, for news that may never come.”
Joseph highlighted that currently in Kenya, enforced disapperances are not recognised as a criminal offence, and therefore offenders are charged with a lesser crime of abduction.
He calls on Kenya to ratify the UN Convention on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances that it signed in 2007 to criminalize this serious violation.
Learn more about IJM’s work to stop police abuse of power in Kenya >>