Migrant DVI (MDVI) includes unique challenges that are different from ‘usual’ DVI events, and many of the accepted methods of identification (DNA; fingerprints; dental) are often impossible, due to legal obstacles and socioeconomic conditions of the countries of origin and the resulting lack of regular dental treatment, fingerprint resources and family records. In addition, water-damage, rapid decomposition and delayed access to the migrant bodies may further confound any comparative methods. There are also significant challenges in relation to the collection of AM data from families of the missing in the countries of origin. Since many migrants attempt maritime crossings via trafficking gangs and illegal routes, communication with relatives of the missing may create danger for the family, and relatives may be reluctant to speak to the authorities due to fears of criminal investigation, extensive funerary costs or social exclusion. Collection of AM data of the missing migrants must be carried out sensitively with local cooperation and the utilisation of trusted members of the community. In the aftermath of a disaster, critical evidence that migrants carry with them, including mobile phones, is often neglected. Much of the useful identification data stored on mobile phones can be accessed in social media or cloud storage, but this data may not be collected, as it would likely involve interviews with families in the country of origin.
Current MDVI processes are inadequate and under-funded – approximately 20% of deceased migrants are ever identified. This is partly caused by a lack of communication between countries of origin and arrival and relevant stakeholders – policy makers, forensic practitioners, humanitarian groups, and government bodies. Many European countries do not have the capacity or resources to adequately deal with the vast numbers of deceased migrants that wash up on their shores, and relevant forensic expertise is scattered across the continent, with specialised hubs located in some countries. There are no current transnational systems in place to pool these relevant resources and to ensure their resilience and capacity legacy for MDVI. It is therefore vital that an international research network for MDVI is established in order to address this global humanitarian crisis through research development, innovation, capacity training and policy initiatives.
Unidentified migrant bodies create ambiguity for the families and friends, who do not know if their missing loved ones are dead or alive, and narratives around missing migrants tend to focus on unidentified bodies, characterizing the challenge as a technical one. This MDVI Action demands that families are made visible and placed at the centre of the process, not only for technical reasons, but politically, so that their voices can be heard and used to advocate for enhanced MDVI.
The Action is a network that plans to develop new practical ante-mortem and post-mortem data collection, analysis, and reconciliation methods for the identification of deceased migrant disaster victims, and to co-design a collaborative process between identification professionals and families of missing migrants for past, present and future migrant disasters.
We have divided our efforts into four working groups, each of them focusing on a different scope.
https://www.iom.int/data-and-research
https://missingmigrants.iom.int/data
https://missingmigrants.iom.int/search?keywords=&type=situation_report
https://www.icrc.org/en/document/counting-dead-icrc-report-migrants-dying-europe-borders
https://www.icrc.org/en/document/counting-dead-new-report-migrants
https://icmp.int/the-missing/
https://icmp.int/the-missing/where-are-the-missing/#europe