< Back to Voices
Following Traces – the ICRC in Egypt
An Interview with Social Worker Bahiga El Gohary
Sara Angheleddu / 24 July 2008
Sara Angheleddu - What is the international tracing and message service?
Bahiga El Gohary - The ICRC Tracing Service is one part of the Re-establishment of Family Links (RFL) program provided by ICRC on behalf of refugees, asylum seekers and Egyptians who have relatives in war zones. The RFL services provided are multiple. First, we follow up any Tracing Requests, namely, we coordinate efforts with ICRC offices in a country of conflict in order to look for persons who have lost contact with their family members who are residing in Egypt. Through the Red Cross/ Red Crescent Messages Services we provide messaging service between family living in Egypt, including third-country nationals, and their family members in war zones. That includes displaced persons, refugees, detainees and others, where communication means are not available. We also have a program called Assistance in Family Reunification/Refugee Repatriation which is especially for unaccompanied minors, which we carry out with the help of United Nations organizations and other NGOs. Finally, we deal with the Issuance of Travel Documents for persons who have been accepted by a third country of asylum but who are lacking proper identity documents for travel. Travel Documents are requested by the country of resettlement and we only issue them upon their request.
Sara - Who uses the tracing and message service?
Bahiga - Anyone may approach our office who is looking for missing family members that they have lost contact with due to an armed conflict situation.
Sara - How does the tracing program work?
Bahiga – The ICRC strategy regarding RFL is that our work is implemented through setting up an exchange of news networks, collecting information on victims from the conflict zones, and then acting as a neutral intermediary at all levels to best serve the best interest of our beneficiaries. Tracing requests are accepted when the enquiring party has sufficient identification elements including an adequate description of events, that they are tracing a first-degree family link, and--last put not least--that we have access to the area where the search is requested.
Sara - How much does the tracing service cost?
Bahiga - Tracing is a completely free service.
Sara - Do you have many requests of assistance here in Cairo?
Bahiga - Yes, RFL is a very active program in Cairo for both third-country nationals and for Egyptians alike.
Sara - Have you assisted any Iraqi refugees so far?
Bahiga – Only a few have come forward, even though they are highly welcomed by ICRC. This low number could be attributed to the rough country conditions in Iraq, which could affect tracing.
Sara - From your everyday experience, would you say that the tracing and messaging is an effective service?
Bahiga - When I started working in the refugee field many years back, I realized that every case is a lesson in life and there is always hope for goodness to come. I learnt that one can not let his ignorance and lack of knowledge push him into accepting preconceived stereotypes that may be far fetched from reality. Recently, we did a tracing for a war-torn family where the father was abducted and the mother fled on a ship to Southeast Asia and their three little ones were lost in a war-torn nation. Luckily, both parents had heard of our ICRC tracing services and they approached our offices in Egypt and Canada. A positive tracing was scored after eight years of lost family links. Grace be to God, through meticulous data collection and long hours of interviews and networking, the three children were also traced. The father made his first telephone call to the children's guardian from the ICRC Tracing office. We also provided him with an Attestation in support of his case upon seeking resettlement or family reunification with his wife.
Sara - Then lastly, a more “personal” question. What does working with refugees mean to you?
Bahiga - Refugees are an extremely vulnerable target group worldwide. In many areas they lack access to protection due to not having any legal status, or to education, health services, employment and/or social welfare. This is due to many social and legal limitations.
As I work in the field, I see that there seems to be a non-stop demand for starting and continuing services and projects to cover larger numbers than the funds currently allow, in order to preserve human dignity under these limitations.
