Definition: Forced disappearance

Category: Crime statistics

A forced disappearance occurs when persons are arrested, detained or abducted against their will or otherwise deprived of their liberty by officials of different branches or levels of government, or by organized groups or private individuals acting on behalf of, or with the support, direct or indirect, consent or acquiescence of the Government, followed by a refusal to disclose the fate or whereabouts of the persons concerned or a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of their liberty, which places such persons outside the protection of the law. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ramon/statmanuals/files/ICCS_final-2015-March12_FINAL_v1_0_EN.pdf