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Abstract
Enforced disappearance is studied as a state-perpetrated crime and serious violation of human rights in the legal systems of Bangladesh, India, and Australia. The research applied a conceptual, comparative, and doctrinal approach to assess the criminal justice treatment of enforced disappearance in these jurisdictions. Despite the fact that the three states have different legal systems, none of them formally acknowledge or make enforced disappearance a crime under their own domestic criminal codes. Enforced disappearance is characterized by its inconspicuousness and related impunity and hinders the investigation of legal accountability. The research found significant deficiencies in the place where the domestic legislative framework is unable to align with international human rights standards like the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. The inherent normative failure in the domestic legal systems of each state is highlighted and harmonized legal reform recommendations sought to align domestic legal systems with international legal obligation. The comparative legal analysis identified ongoing state authority assertion and rule of law obligation tensions. The findings highlight the challenges in strengthening accountability measures and strengthening protections for enforced disappearance victims. The conclusions have important theoretical and practical implications for the improvement of criminal justice systems both internationally and domestically and thus contribute to the global initiative to eradicate enforced disappearance and uphold human rights.
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