A/HRC/16/70 the study prepared by the drafting group, to be transmitted to the Council for its consideration at its sixteenth session. 10. The Advisory Committee expresses its gratitude to OHCHR for the support in the process of collection of information, as well as to other partners, including ICRC, nongovernmental organizations and Governments. II. Scope of the study 11. The scope of the study is determined by Human Rights Council resolution 7/28. Accordingly, for the purposes of the present study, “missing persons” are to be construed as those whose families are without news of them, as well as those who are reported, on the basis of reliable information, as unaccounted for as a result of an international or noninternational armed conflict. The report does not cover cases when people go missing as a result of other situations, for example, natural disasters or internal violence or disturbances. On the other hand, the term “missing persons” as used in the study is different from and broader in scope than “enforced or involuntary disappearance” as defined in the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.1 12. It is of great concern that armed conflicts continue to occur in various parts of the world, often resulting in serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law and, in particular, generating more and more persons reported missing. There are many reasons for people going missing. They may be forcibly displaced; they may be captured, arrested or abducted and denied contact with family or friends; they may be members of armed forces or armed groups whose fate is unknown (“missing in action”); or they be victims of massacres. 13. The issue of persons reported missing in connection with armed conflicts is today a harsh reality for countless families throughout the world, causing them tremendous suffering. The families of missing people face a whole range of problems arising from their situation of vulnerability. Very often, these families are unable to overcome their pain and rebuild their lives and communities, even many years after the events, a situation that can undermine relationships between communities for generations. Missing persons should therefore not be considered the only victims; all the members of their families, in the broadest possible sense, are victims too.2 14. The issue of missing persons also seriously hampers efforts to achieve peace and reconciliation in areas affected by armed conflicts. On the other hand, efforts to solve the issue of the missing can contribute to solving the conflicts and reducing hostility, mistrust and intolerance. 15. To illustrate the seriousness of the problem, some figures are adduced below. According to ICRC, more than 17,000 people are still registered as missing from the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia that broke out in the 1990s. In Croatia, more than 2,500 people remain unaccounted for following the armed conflicts between 1991 and 1995. In 1 2 4 For the purposes of the Convention, “enforced disappearance” is considered to be the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the State or by persons or groups of persons acting with the authorization, support or acquiescence of the State, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person, which place such a person outside the protection of the law” (art. 2). “The missing and their families: Summary of the conclusions arising from the events held prior to the International Conference of Governments and Non-Government Experts (19-21 February 2003)”, ICRC, p. 11.