Executive Summary
The report, Left Behind: The Human Cost of Enforced Disappearances, examines the continuing human, social, economic, and legal consequences of enforced disappearances in Pakistan. Rather than focusing only on missing persons and institutional mechanisms, it centers the experiences of affected families, particularly women and children. Based on interviews, civil-society documentation, and official data, the report finds that disappearances create prolonged financial hardship, legal uncertainty, psychological distress, educational disruption, stigma, and social isolation. It also identifies weaknesses in Pakistan’s institutional and legal responses, including the absence of a comprehensive law criminalizing enforced disappearance and limited support for affected families. The report recommends legal recognition for missing persons, financial and psychosocial assistance, improved case tracking, stronger accountability, and ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
