Migration

Border Forensics

Border Forensics is a research and investigation agency that documents violence against migrants and refugees at borders. It works with migrant communities and civil society organizations to support their demands for truth and justice and to strengthen their capacities to document and contest border violence.

Border Forensics Technikbild 1600 — The photo illustrates the techniques used by Border Forensics to reconstruct scenes graphically.

About the Project

The increasing incidence of border violence in Europe and across the world has led to a growing demand for the investigative techniques of Border Forensics. As forms of border violence become more diverse, there is an urgent need to develop new methods of investigation and contestation. The normalization of border violence, particularly along the external borders of the EU, has prompted the agency to initiate investigations into this disturbing trend. Through their work, they help to raise awareness of human rights violations at borders and to increase accountability.

Based in Geneva, Border Forensics develops innovative geospatial and open-source investigative techniques to visualize and understand border violence in Europe and around the world. In the past years, they have investigated pushbacks at the Nador-Melilla border, the use of aerial surveillance by Frontex in the Mediterranean and the deadly effects of European Union funded border controls in Niger.

Their investigations inform various forums, including national and international courts, parliaments, policy forums, the international press, academic journals, and renowned cultural institutions worldwide. Through these forums, Border Forensics shapes narratives, promotes debate and accountability for human rights violations and raises awareness with the aim of ending harmful practices that violate the rights of migrants and refugees.