The Role of Forensic Science in Identifying Missing Migrants in Europe

Thousands of migrants have died on dangerous journeys, in search of a better life, around the world. We do not know who the vast majority of these individuals are. This leaves friends and family in a state of limbo, not knowing the fate of their loved ones. Despite established forensic processes for identifying the dead, little is being done to identify the missing migrants. The aim of this study was to examine the role of forensic science in identifying missing migrants in Europe. I took a qualitative approach and employed a grounded theory methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders from forensic science, international organisations, academia, civil society and policing. Findings from the data demonstrate that migrants are less likely to be identified than other groups of the dead or missing for a number of reasons relating to the scientific methods being used and the political and social climate. There is also some ambiguity about the term missing migrant itself. I found that the forensic landscape related to the identification of missing migrants in Europe is hugely complex with a large number of actors and a scope beyond the continent. To date, there has been a reliance on the standard Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) mechanism in attempts to identify missing migrants. This process has a strong science focus, particularly towards DNA profiling, but it emerged from the research data that this approach does not translate well to the migrant context. In addition, there are numerous issues with the data relating to missing migrants and a coordinated mechanism for sharing standardised data is required. To make progress in identifying missing migrants, I argue that a truly interdisciplinary approach is necessary. This process must balance scientific and non-scientific contributions, including contextual information, and establish trust between contributors. Drawing on my research findings and the wider literature, I propose the establishment of the European Migrant Identification Centre (MIC) to coordinate efforts on the forensic identification of missing migrants in Europe.