Actions taken:
Subsequent to the co-signing of the open pledge “Dead migrants and information to their families” by Switzerland in 2018 (32nd IC, Ref. number OP 320001), a joint working group comprising representatives of Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Federal Police, Disaster Victims Identification Switzerland, State Secretariat for Migration, International Committee of the Red Cross and Swiss Red Cross was created and met for the first time in February 2019. The group committed to the following goals:
- Clarify key stakeholders and the process for identification and registration of deceased migrants and communication to their families in Switzerland.
- Develop potential ways of collaboration between relevant authorities and the National Society (Tracing service) to assist families in finding missing or deceased family members.
- Identify concrete channels of communications with the concerned families regarding the fate of their deceased family members.
- Develop protocols and gather best practices and tools to support families of deceased migrants across Europe.
In July 2020, a report was submitted by the Swiss Red Cross and the Swiss Government. The Swiss Red Cross Tracing Service with the help of the Swiss authorities has carried out a mapping of the current situation in its country to thoroughly understand the process of how deceased migrants are identified, registered, if and how their families are informed and who is responsible for these tasks. Over the last 5 years, Switzerland and the Swiss Red Cross have been able to establish a basis for collaboration and the members of the national working group agreed to meet three times a year.
To continue and deepen the collaboration at national level between the Swiss Red Cross and the Swiss authorities participating in the working group, a second pledge was submitted on 30 March 2020 with the following objectives:
- Strengthen the cooperation and coordination between national authorities and the RLF network of the RC/RC Movement.
- Continue to develop mechanisms in order to facilitate the transmission of information about the fate and whereabouts of the deceased migrants to their families.
- Identify and, as far as possible, offer solutions to any legal, administrative or factual obstacles that might be hindering activities in this respect.
To achieve these objectives, the Swiss Red Cross continued to participate actively in the transnational working group on the same topics and to lead the national working group to facilitate a smooth exchange of information between the RC/RC Movement and the Swiss authorities. The exchange of best practices with the Swiss authorities and the Restoring Family Link network has thus been continued and deepened. In addition, the presence of ICRC representatives on the national group enabled the RC/RC Movement and the Swiss authorities to exchange information and knowledge, particularly with regard to international projects on the same subject.
In parallel, the Swiss Red Cross Tracing Service continued to manage the project “Ante Mortem data of missing migrants. Collection of ante-mortem data by the SRC Tracing Service ” started in August 2018. The project is aimed at individuals and families resident in Switzerland, searching for a family member who has gone missing while migrating. The main objective is offering families the opportunity to register ante mortem data of their missing members; forwarding these data to the competent entities and supporting families during the difficult process of discovering what has happened to their missing relatives. and was able to extend its offer to a wider target group. The project was originally scheduled to run for three and a half years (until December 2021), but has now been extended to 2025, thanks in part to the excellent collaboration with the Swiss police authorities, with whom the SRC Tracing Service works on specific cases.
To ensure that the fruitful collaboration continues in the years to come, the members of the national working group have agreed to submit a third pledge (ref. Number: SP340292). This has been published for the 34th International Conference to be held in 2024.
