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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Endless Returning, Endless Hope – GAPs Digital Story 2

Endless Returning, Endless Hope follows the story of Mohammad Nazaar, an Afghan man caught in the cycles of migration, exclusion, and return. After moving to Germany in 2011, Mohammad built a life through work, education, and integration efforts—only to face rejection and forced separation from his wife in Afghanistan. This intimate documentary combines personal testimony and on-location footage to trace Mohammad’s return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and his enduring hope to rebuild his life in Europe. Through his story, the film sheds light on the human cost of restrictive migration regimes, so-called “voluntary” return, and the persistence of hope amid structural precarity.

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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.

Migrants' Agency: How Migrants Make Decisions about their Lives

In migration policy debates, migrants are often portrayed as victims—trapped by borders, constrained by laws, and left with little say over their futures. But a new digital story from the GAPs Project challenges this one-dimensional narrative. Migrants' Agency: How Migrants Make Decisions about Their Lives takes viewers into the everyday realities of migrants, refugees, and returnees, showing how they navigate difficult systems with resilience, creativity, and purpose. Drawing on field research across multiple countries, the video highlights how decisions around return are not simply dictated by policy but are actively negotiated by migrants themselves. Experts including Dr. Susan Beth Rottmann (Özyeğin University, Turkey), Dr. Ngozi Louis Uzomah (University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria), Minos Papakyriakopoulos (Voluntary Return and Reintegration Counsellor IOM, Greece), and Karina Belhaj (Association Migration Internationale (AMI), Morocco) offer grounded insights into how legal and structural barriers shape—but do not entirely determine—migrants’ choices. This compelling documentary calls for a shift in perspective: if return policies are to be truly effective, they must take seriously the voices and agency of those most affected.

Return and Reintegration: Case Studies from Afghanistan, Nigeria and Iraq

What does "going home" really mean for migrants who return to their countries of origin? Return and Reintegration: Case Studies from Afghanistan, Nigeria and Iraq offers a sobering look at the challenges returnees face long after the journey ends. Drawing on in-depth research by the GAPs Project, this video explores what reintegration looks like on the ground—from struggles to access education and employment to the social stigma many face in their own communities. Through case studies and expert insights from Dr. Hidayet Siddikoğlu (BILIM, Organisation for Research and Social Studies, Afghanistan), Dr. Ngozi Louis Uzomah (University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria), William Warda (Hammurabi Human Rights Organisation, Iraq), the documentary sheds light on the fragile and uneven pathways of return. Far from a simple process, reintegration emerges as a complex negotiation between individual resilience and the limits of local support systems. This digital story calls attention to the urgent need for policies that go beyond return logistics and invest in meaningful, long-term reintegration.