Missing persons document management as disaster response: the case of handling missing persons in Timor Leste

Twenty years after the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste gained independence, thousands of families remain in search of loved ones who went missing during conflicts. This study examines how documents related to missing persons are managed as part of disaster response, focusing on case studies from the Cruz Vermelha de Timor Leste (CVTL) in Dili and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) offices in Dili and Jakarta. The analysis identifies three critical aspects: 1) documentation of missing persons; 2) management of ongoing missing persons cases; and 3) the role of document management in disaster response. Findings underscore the pivotal role of missing persons documents in recovering identities and rebuilding lives after the East Timor conflict. Effective document management encompasses creation, classification, storage, retrieval, and supervision, ensuring the integrity, confidentiality, and evidentiary value of these records. This study highlights the humanitarian objectives of document management, offering new insights into its application in post-conflict scenarios.