There are people who are particularly vulnerable and that, therefore, are affected in a way by an act of enforced disappearance. In particular:

• Women: In some countries pregnant women have been the specific target of a practice of enforced disappearance. They have been particularly affected as they have been forced to live the traumatic experience of forced deprivation of liberty (in many cases followed by torture and inhuman and degrading treatment) and the isolation from the outside world in such a delicate moment of their life, fearing for themselves and for the newborn. Often women have been forced to give birth while in captivity, in places of poor hygienic conditions and without any medical support. In many cases, after giving birth, women have seen their babies being taken away by their captors and afterwards they have been arbitrary killed. Further, often women are the relatives of the disappeared person who could be the breadwinner of the house
• Children: they can be both material victims or relatives of the material victims of a disappearance. In any case, children are particularly vulnerable and the impact of such a traumatic experience can affect them in their development and growth.
• Indigenous peoples: members and, in particular, leaders of indigenous groups have frequently been the targets of enforced disappearance. In these cases, on top of other serious violations, there is also a violation of their cultural and religious rights and, in many instances, the victims have suffered a grave violation of their identity.
• Persons with disabilities (physically or mentally challenged people): in certain countries people with disabilities have been the target of enforced disappearance. Due to their vulnerable situation, the impact and the consequences of a disappearance, both on their physical as well as on their psychological condition, may reach a particular intensity.
• Activists (human rights defenders, trade unionists, political opponents, teachers and professors and journalists): this group of people has been often targeted by the perpetrators of enforced disappearances worldwide. In this case, not only there is a violation of the freedom of expression and of political rights of the material victims, but, in general, the group or association to which they belong is thrown into a state of terror that may amount to inhuman treatment as a result of a direct intimidation which seriously impairs the regular carrying out of their activities.