The war has torn at Iraq’s social fabric, flinging victims displaced by the instability to all corners of the country and abroad. The Iraqi Red Crescent established the Tracing program, in close coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in response to the increasing need to re-establish contacts between families split up as a result of the armed conflict, internal violence, or any other disaster.

In addition to assisting those displaced by violence, the Iraqi Red Crescent facilitates contacts between families and the estimated 23,000 persons detained by the occupation forces and 34,000 by the Iraqi authorities.

The Iraqi Red Crescent collects and distributes Red Cross/Red Crescent messages, collects information about detainees or people who have died, organizes family reunifications and repatriations, and assists in issuing travel documents and certificates of detention.

The 2007 budget for this program was $5,500,000 USD, which supported the 44 tracing staff members and the efforts of more than 105 tracing volunteers. Despite the extraordinary record of the Tracing program, the growing demand for the service has the Iraqi Red Crescent expecting its budgetary requirements to increase dramatically as it develops its tracing techniques and tools, and expands its trained tracing network.

BACK TO HOME