The migrant experience through the lens of forensic medicine: the multifaceted utility of asylum applicants’ medico-legal narratives and forensic evidence analysed over time

The comprehensive involvement of forensic practitioners in asylum cases aids the accurate identification and overall evaluation of asylum applications, with demonstrated direct associations between asylum assessment application outcomes and medico-legal conclusions. Forensic involvement is ever more urgent with the increasing migration flows. This paper examines the multifaceted utility of analysing migrant narratives together with forensic data over an extended period: A detailed qualitative secondary analysis of data collected between 2008 and 2021 by the Milan Institute of Forensic Medicine, which includes all migrants who underwent a forensic assessment as unaccompanied foreign minors or torture victims. This retrospective analysis revealed a disturbing trend of increased interpersonal violence and abuse against migrants, particularly pronounced amongst minors and those transiting Libya. The utility of this data analysis is manifold: it provides a comprehensive understanding of migrants’ experiences by contextualising individual narratives within broader socio-political situations. It highlights emerging transit routes and abuse patterns, offering insights that facilitate thorough and focused medico-legal examinations. Additionally, it offers an evidence-based foundation for implementing national immigration laws and informing public policy, while also identifying gaps in the protection of unaccompanied minors and torture victims. This data enables targeted, effective medical, social, and legal interventions where urgently needed. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of early forensic evidence collection and preservation to support future legal proceedings, while emphasising the critical role of forensic practitioners in addressing torture cases under the Istanbul Protocol.