Border Violence Monitoring Network

What Border Violence Monitoring Network does

Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN) is an independent, horizontal, self-organised network of NGOs, associations, and collectives founded in 2017 in response to violent pushbacks of people on the move along the Balkan route following the 2016 closure of the humanitarian corridor. The organisation documents human rights violations at and within European borders through a network of trained field reporters operating across at least ten countries including Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland, France, Slovenia, Italy, Hungary, and North Macedonia. Its primary beneficiaries are asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees who experience pushbacks, detention, and other forms of border violence, while secondary users include EU institutions, the European Court of Human Rights, UN mechanisms, academic researchers, journalists, and civil society organisations.

The organisation's core technical platform consists of two interconnected open-source databases: the Pushbacks Database (containing over 1,860 documented testimonies as of December 2024, each combining hard data such as dates, locations, officer descriptions, photos of injuries, and medical documents with qualitative narrative accounts) and the Violence Within State Borders Database (covering detention, evictions, pullbacks, and violence in public spaces). Supporting offerings include monthly and research reports, the Black Book of Pushbacks publication (multiple volumes from 2020 onward), Trials Monitoring, the Legal Action Database, the Invisible Borders Podcast, and the Detention Landscapes and Cyprus' Borderscape mapping projects. Data collection follows a standardised methodology covering informed consent, privacy, anonymity, and avoiding retraumatisation, which has been validated in court proceedings including European Court of Human Rights rulings in 2021.

As a non-profit monitoring and advocacy network, BVMN does not charge for its services; all reports, databases, and publications are made publicly available at no cost. The network is funded by approximately 20 foundations and organisations including Open Society Foundations, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Oak Foundation, Heinrich Böll Foundation, EPIM, PRO ASYL, Brot für die Welt, Privacy International, and Guerrilla Foundation. Governance operates through an Open Assembly of member organisations with day-to-day operations managed by coordinators, while Rigardu e.V. provides the legal administrative framework. The network has 35 staff and at least 11 formal member organisations spanning frontline humanitarian aid, legal representation, and documentation work.

Name

Border Violence Monitoring Network

Legal name

Border Violence Monitoring Network

Website

https://borderviolence.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Border Violence Monitoring Network is a non-profit network of NGOs founded in 2017 that documents pushbacks and human rights violations at European borders through open-source databases holding over 1,860 testimonies, serving migrants, legal advocates, EU institutions, and researchers across at least ten countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Monitoring and Migration Documentation

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

akta.pro primary industry

Protection, Child Protection & Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response (BPAGAAAG)

Keywords

• Border violence monitoring
• Human rights documentation
• Migration rights advocacy
• Pushback testimony collection
• Asylum rights research

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BVMN is a non-profit network that monitors, documents, and reports on human rights violations against people on the move at and within European borders. It collects standardised testimonies from trained field reporters, curates them into open-source databases (the Pushbacks Database with over 1,860 reports and the Violence Within State Borders Database), and publishes monthly reports, research reports, policy briefs, and trial monitoring outputs to support advocacy, legal accountability, and policy reform.

Product overview

Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN) is a horizontal, self-organised network of NGOs, associations, and collectives that monitors human rights violations at and within European borders. The organisation operates two interconnected open-source databases: the Pushbacks Database containing over 1,860 documented testimonies of pushback incidents (as of December 2024), and the Violence Within State Borders Database documenting other forms of border violence. These databases are supported by field reporting teams using standardised testimony collection methodology. BVMN publishes Monthly Reports, Research Reports, and Special Investigations including the Black Book of Pushbacks publication. Additional offerings include Trials Monitoring for criminal proceedings, the Legal Action Database archive, and project sites such as the Invisible Borders Podcast, Detention Landscapes database, and Cyprus' Borderscape research project.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Black Book of Pushbacks: A publication compiling personal accounts of illegal expulsions documented by BVMN organisations, with detailed analysis of patterns of violence perpetrated by European authorities.
• Invisible Borders Podcast
• Detention Landscapes
• Cyprus' Borderscape
• Infrastructuring Nature

Products and services

• Pushbacks Database An open-source online database documenting individual testimonies and transit group experiences of pushbacks at European borders. Contains over 1,860 reports of border violence as of December 2024, with hard data (timings, dates, locations, officer descriptions) paired with qualitative narrative accounts. Used by advocates, researchers, journalists, and courts.
• Violence Within State Borders Database An open-source database of personal accounts of violence experienced by people on the move within state borders, including instances of detention, evictions, pullbacks, and violence in public spaces.
• Monthly Reports Regular reports summarizing pushbacks and border violence across Europe, providing overviews of changes, trends, and specific notable cases in monitored geographic areas.
• Black Book of Pushbacks A published book containing personal accounts of illegal expulsions documented by BVMN member organisations, along with detailed analysis of patterns of violence perpetrated by European authorities. Multiple volumes released (2020 Vol 1, 2020 Vol 2, 2022).
• Trials Monitoring A service that tracks criminal proceedings against people on the move and solidarity actors, documenting and analyzing patterns of criminalisation related to freedom of movement.
• Invisible Borders Podcast A podcast project documenting border violence experiences through audio storytelling.
• Detention Landscapes A database and mapping project documenting detention facilities and landscapes across Europe.
• Cyprus' Borderscape A research project documenting border dynamics and violence specific to Cyprus.
• Legal Action Database An archive of legal actions and cases related to border violence and pushbacks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,860 documented pushback cases in public database (December 2024)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• BlindspotscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit association providing direct solidarity aid to people on the move in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Member of BVMN network, contributing field reporting and testimony collection.
• Collective AidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of humanitarian programs operating in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Greece. Has reached over 111,150 people since 2021. BVMN member contributing testimony collection and advocacy.
• I Have Rights (IHR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal and political NGO based in Samos, Greece, defending the right to asylum in Europe. BVMN member providing legal support, trial monitoring, and testimony collection.
• Mobile Info Team (MIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject in Northern Greece providing vital information and assistance to people on the move about asylum procedures. BVMN member organisation.
• RigarducoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organisation campaigning for refugees and their rights, operating on the Balkan route. BVMN member providing documentation of human rights violations and political education.
• Center for Legal Aid - Voice in Bulgaria (CLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit providing legal aid to asylum seekers, migrants, and undocumented people in Bulgaria. BVMN member offering legal counsel, court representation, and holistic support.
• Mission WingssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGO established in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria in 2018, operating a Counseling Center in Harmanli. BVMN member providing psychological, legal, and social services.
• We Are Monitoring (WAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Border Group coalition on the Polish-Belarusian border. BVMN member collecting, analysing, and sharing data on violence against people on the move since 2021.
• Legal Centre Lesvos (LCL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil non-profit organisation providing free legal information, assistance, and representation to migrants arriving by sea to Lesvos. BVMN member engaged in strategic litigation.
• Info ParksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrassroots collective in Belgrade providing aid, information, support, and logistics for refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers. Serves over 15,000 annually. BVMN member.
• Calais Food Collective (CFC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrassroots collective supporting people on the move in Calais through food and water autonomy advocacy. Founded in 2020. BVMN member, part of Calais Appeal consortium.
• Invisible Borders PodcastsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPodcast project documenting experiences at European borders. BVMN project partner.
• Detention LandscapessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch project documenting detention landscapes. BVMN project partner.
• Cyprus' BorderscapesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject documenting borderscapes in Cyprus. BVMN project partner.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PRO ASYL: German refugee-rights organisation that combines documentation, advocacy, and litigation on pushbacks and asylum access. Comparable to BVMN in advocacy-to-courts pipeline and overlaps as one of BVMN's listed funders.
• Borderline-Europe: Human rights organisation documenting border violence on the Balkan and Central Mediterranean routes. Direct peer on testimony-based documentation of pushbacks across the same corridors BVMN monitors.
• Legal Centre Lesvos: Greek non-profit providing legal representation and strategic litigation for migrants arriving by sea to Lesvos. Listed as a BVMN member; comparable in field-based legal aid plus documentation.
• Mobile Info Team: Northern Greece-based project providing information and assistance to people on the move on asylum procedures. Listed as a BVMN member and operates at the same field-monitoring/intake boundary.
• Refugee Support Aegean: Greek NGO providing legal aid, monitoring, and documentation of rights violations at Greek borders and hotspots. Directly comparable as a frontline monitoring and litigation actor overlapping BVMN's Greek field reporting.
• Migreurop: European network that documents and denounces violations of migrants' rights at borders and in detention. Highly comparable to BVMN in mission, geographic focus (EU borders), and network-of-NGOs structure.
• Refugee Rights Europe: Documents human rights violations against refugees and migrants along European borders using a comparable testimony-based methodology. Operates the DataPush platform, similar in function to BVMN's pushbacks database.

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Watch: Large incumbent human-rights organisation with a dedicated migration programme producing investigations and reports on European border practices. Overlaps with BVMN's evidence-and-advocacy model at much greater scale.
• Amnesty International: Global human-rights organisation with extensive migration-and-asylum research and EU advocacy. Comparable in mission and reporting-output cadence, though broader in geographic and thematic scope.
• ECRE (European Council on Refugees and Exiles): Pan-European umbrella of 100+ refugee-assistance NGOs conducting policy advocacy at EU level. Broader in scope than BVMN but operates in the same evidence-to-policy niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQ3dNEh-h-HiSw_xJ4oyKlw
• Facebookfacebook.com/borderviolencemonitoring
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/border-violence-monitoring-network
• Instagraminstagram.com/borderviolence

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Border Violence Monitoring Network