Forcing to undress

Forcing individuals to undress is a degrading and dehumanizing practice frequently reported in testimonies. People who experience this often stripped in public or semi-public settings, either as part of body searches, as a form of humiliation, or as a means to exert control. The act is often accompanied by verbal abuse, mockery, and, in some cases, violence, creating a deeply traumatic experience.
The violation of privacy and dignity inherent in such acts contravenes both the ECHR (Article 3) and the United Nations Convention against Torture. Forcing people to undress strips them not only of their clothing but also of their sense of autonomy and humanity, turning a basic search procedure into a method of psychological torture and intimidation.
Forcing individuals to undress during border procedures can legally occur under certain circumstances, such as during strip searches aimed at uncovering contraband or ensuring safety. According to international and national legal standards, strip searches must adhere to strict guidelines: this includes legal grounds (like ‘reasonable’ suspicion that the person is concealing prohibited items (like weapons, drugs, or evidence of a crime), necessity (by the least intrusive means necessary), and with respect for dignity. Instead, in the context of pushbacks these legal conditions are entirely violated. People report being forced to undress where there is no reasonable suspicion of a crime (recall that irregularly crossing a border is not a crime which would justify the use of strip searching). Testimonies make clear that strip searches are motivated more by a desire to intimidate, humiliate, or degrade than by any legitimate security concern. In addition, they are frequently humiliated, with people stripped entirely naked or in public. The use of strip searches in this way is absolutely and unequivocally violent and illegal.
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Dr. Auric D. Hellman
adhellman1@gmail.com
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