4 June 2016 – The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) commemorates its 18^th anniversary.  Against the backdrop of enforced disappearances in a region wallowing in dire poverty and bereft of regional human rights mechanisms for protection, the AFAD was conceived and born in Manila, Philippines.  Initiated by the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearances (FIND, Philippines), the Association of Parents and Family Members of the Disappeared (APDP, in the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir) and the then Organization of Parents and Family Members of the Disappeared (OPFMD, Sri Lanka), AFAD has grown and is now a Federation of 14 member-organizations from 10 countries, namely Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste and with an individual member in Laos and two in Switzerland.