GAPS Project Multimedia Outputs

Between Borders and Fears - GAPs Digital Story 1

Between Borders and Fears – A Digital Story of Afghan Lives in Istanbul. This powerful documentary follows the journey of Parviz and Feruza, an Afghan couple navigating legal limbo, economic precarity, and the constant fear of deportation in Turkey. Through a compelling mix of personal testimonies, animation, and on-the-ground footage, the film highlights the structural barriers migrants face when return becomes both an imposed and an impossible option. By capturing the lived realities of displaced families, Between Borders and Fears contributes to critical discussions on return migration policies, shedding light on how legal frameworks shape, constrain, and disrupt migrant lives.

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Rethinking Return Migration: Policies, Realities and Gaps

In this video, researchers from the GAPs project dive into the complexities of return migration, exploring the varied terminology and definitions commonly used across policy and public discussions in Europe. Learn how EU policies on return migration are implemented and discover the distinctions between voluntary returns and forced deportations. Our experts also discuss the critical role of cooperation agreements between the EU and countries of origin, which often impact the success of return orders. Despite the EU’s increased assistance programs designed to encourage voluntary returns, these agreements remain challenging. The video features street surveys from Berlin, capturing public perceptions in Germany and shedding light on diverse views around return migration.

Rethinking Return Migration: What’s at Stake with EU Return Policies?

In the second episode, GAPs researchers explore the legal and ethical frameworks shaping return migration processes within the EU. This video unpacks the criteria required for a return to be classified as "voluntary" and explains the key legal obligations EU member states hold toward refugees and migrants, including essential human rights protections. Yet, as the video highlights, these legal standards are often overlooked in practice. With a rising number of "pushbacks"—measures used by EU states like Greece and Italy to deny entry to migrants—our researchers question the lack of independent monitoring and the implications for human rights. We also delve into the principle of "non-refoulement" and its critical role in return migration policies, discussing issues such as detention conditions and migrants' access to legal representation in Europe.