The destruction of personal belongings occurs in 70% of the testimonies we report – it is one of the most common forms of violence experienced by people on the move, throughout Europe. It is the intentional theft and damage of essential items such as clothes, phones, documents, and money. This can leave people extremely vulnerable, without access to emergency support, without necessary documents to protect them, or without clothes to protect them from harsh weather conditions.
The theft of phones is particularly common in this: most people use phones to help them navigate, to contact family and friends, and also to document violence and poor living conditions. Police and border authorities are well aware of this, and consequently phones are stolen and sold on the black market, or destroyed to ensure no evidence of violence is recorded. This is also why it is so rare to have photographic or video evidence of pushbacks and border violence – because it is systematic practise to destroy peoples phones to allow their violent operations to continue.
The phone of one respondent which the Croatian police smashed over his friends head, 1 May 2024.
Phones destroyed by the Croatian police near Velika Kladusa, 28 November 2022.
This practice is a blatant violation of fundamental human rights and international standards. It breaches the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), particularly Article 3, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, and Article 8, which ensures the right to respect for private and family life. Additionally, it contravenes the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), particularly Articles 11 and 12, which relate to the right to an adequate standard of living – a standard which is deliberately destroyed by the destruction of people’s personal and necessary items.
