Asociación Comité de Familiares de Migrantes Fallecidos y Desaparecidos de El Salvador (The Salvadoran Committee of Relatives of Killed or Disappeared Migrants, COFAMIDE) is a relatives' created with the objective of searching for migrants who were killed or disappeared en eroute to the USA. It defends the human rights of migrants in transit and works to ensure that families affected are treated with dignity and have access to justice, truth and compensation for damages on from relevant countries.

COFAMIDE was founded in 2006 by a group of victims, later incorporating staff with the technical staff to provide accompaniment and support. In doing so, it changed from being a victims' organisation to one seeking political influence, and now it is a leading national and international voice on migration in Central America.

Its activities include:

• Research and investigation on migrants killed or disappeared en eoute to the USA.
• Accompanying families throughout the process of investigation, notification, repatriation and burial.
• Defending the human rights of migrants in transit at both national and international representations.
• Providing psychosocial support for affected families.
• Holding leadership workshops for families.
• Reporting and advocating on the dangers of undocumented migration.
• Demanding advocating for the rights of affeced families.
• Advocating at the international level for the creation of effective search mechanisms.

COFAMIDE has achieved a wide range of successes in many countries and spheres. For example:

• In 2013, it signed an agreement with the Movimiento Migrante Mesoamericano (MMM) in Mexico to help locate migrants. taking part in a caravan procession it was able for the first time to visit five prisons in Mexico, locating 18 Salvadorans who had not been able to communicate with their families.
• Also in 2013, it signed an agreement with other Central American organisations and the Mexican attorney general for an Argentinian team to travel to Mexico and exhume bodies from the Tamaulipas massacres of 2010, 2011 and 2012.
• In 2014, it ran another caravan, travelling to San Luis Potosí and visiting prisons. In 2015, a caravan visited further prisons with young Salvadorans who had not been able to communicate with their family.
• In collaboration with similar organisations across the region, it helped secure the creation of a crime united dedicated to investigating relevant issues with the Mexican attorney general.

Learn more about COFAMIDE at the following links:

Youtube (1) Youtube (2) Youtube (3) Youtube (4) Youtube (5) Youtube (6)