Families have the right to know what happened to their loved ones. They also have the right to see their family's life and unity preserved. Ximena Londoño, ICRC legal advisor, and Anastasia Kushleyko, strategy advisor at the CTA Bureau, explain what this means in practice, what the states concerned must do to ensure these rights are respected, and how the ICRC helps families to (re)connect and, where possible, exchange news. They also speak of the excruciating suffering of families waiting for news.