The approach to unidentified dead migrants in Italy. In Forensic Science and Humanitarian Action

This chapter summarizes how Italy is trying to tackle the problem of dead migrants, and how this attempt has been extremely useful in presenting some of the challenges under different perspectives. Italy, which is involved in the problem of clandestine disembarkations because of the proximity of Lampedusa and Sicily to Africa, is one of the first European countries that have started to work towards the identification of dead migrants. A pilot study was performed in order to verify the feasibility of identifying dead migrants. At a national level, the Ufficio Commissario straordinario per le Persone Scomparse Office is attempting to collect all data concerning unknown dead migrants from the different Public Prosecutors Offices that have jurisdiction on every disaster/shipwreck occurring in Italian waters, or on single decedents who arrived in the domestic ports. Datasharing policies may be different between governments and NGOs.