Uncover the truth
Friends of FAFG, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization established in 2011 to support the work of the Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala (FAFG) and connect FAFG's experts with institutions, civil society organizations, and family members who search for their disappeared loved ones across the globe. With decades of experience implementing victim-led multidisciplinary investigations of disappeared persons from the Internal Armed Conflict in Guatemala, Friends of FAFG and FAFG share forensic expertise through direct accompaniment, trainings, and assessments. These partnerships build local forensic capacity so that victims who have been forcibly disappeared by State, military, or other armed groups, can be recovered, identified, and returned to their families for dignified burials.
Ongoing crimes of enforced disappearance are part of every day life in Mexico. According to official counts, there are over 110,000 missing and disappeared persons registered in the country. Due to pressure by search collectives, civil society organizations, and family members, the Mexican government is confronting the increasing number of Disappeared persons through the creation of institutions dedicated to searching for and identifying these victims. To help provide answers to the families searching for their loved ones, Friends of FAFG's Comprehensive Forensic Approaches for the Disappeared in Mexico project works with Mexican institutions at the federal and state levels to strengthen their forensic capacity and investigation protocols, ultimately contributing to the identification of the Disappeared in Mexico. Click here to read more!
In Guatemala, Friends of FAFG supports the FAFG in its efforts to identify the Disappeared and preserve historical memory through the Forensics for Truth, Justice, and Memorialization project, which responds to the expressed needs of survivors and family members of victims of enforced disappearance from the Internal Armed Conflict (1960-1996). Prioritizing the presence and participation of loved ones and respecting Maya culture and beliefs, FAFG conducts victim-led forensic investigations, and commemorates and archives victims’ stories both in physical spaces like the San Juan Comalapa Memorial for Victims of Enforce Disappearance and virtually in online archives. Click here to read more!
Around the world there is an urgent need for organizations and individuals in conflict and post-conflict societies to be equipped with the tools to search for and identify the Disappeared, especially in countries that lack official State Search Mechanisms. The Global Forensic Academy provides immersive multidisciplinary forensic trainings to organizations and individuals from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia regions through workshops held in Guatemala and at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda. In addition to building local forensic capacity, the Global Forensic Academy facilitates community-led networks of individuals and organizations working to search for and identify Disappeared persons worldwide. Click here to read more!
Colombia is facing an ongoing humanitarian crisis resulting from more that 50 years of armed conflict. The conflict produced mass crimes of enforced disappearance, with the estimated number of Disappeared ranging from 80,000 to 121,000 people. Through the Forensic Assistance for the Disappeared in Colombia project, Friends of FAFG works alongside 3 key State institutions, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and family members to develop strategies and capacity to search for victims of enforced disappearance from the armed conflict. Click here to read more!
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