named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Border Project
Transnational forensic mechanism identifying bodies of missing migrants along the Central America-Mexico-US corridor, repatriating remains, and building the largest forensic and genetic database on migrant disappearances.
Forensic Training and Capacity Building
Trains victims’ families, human rights defenders, journalists, prosecutors, judges, and forensic professionals to strengthen local forensic systems and promote sustainable justice.
Global Advocacy and Policy Influence
Advocates for improved national and international forensic policies and supports democratic transitions through participation in truth commissions and transitional justice processes.
Technology Innovation in Forensic Investigations
Applies satellite imagery, drone photography, LiDAR, ground-penetrating radar, and cellphone video analysis to improve human rights investigations and uncover state violence.
activities · 5 groups
What they do
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Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 1 activity
- Advocating for improved forensic policies and institutional mechanismsEngages in public policy advocacy to improve forensic policies at national, regional, and global levels, including working with victims' families and forensic experts to advocate for federal mechanisms addressing over 100,000 disappearances in Mexico.
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Law Enforcement Professional Development 1 activity
- Building forensic capacity through training and technical supportDelivers forensic training and technical support to victims' families, human rights defenders, journalists, judges, prosecutors, investigators, and government forensic units, including training emerging experts in Guatemala and developing South Africa’s Missing Persons Task Team.
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Human Rights Advocacy Funding 1 activity
- Funding forensic science projects to address human rights violationsFunds projects that apply forensic sciences to document and address grave human rights violations, including research, publications, and events conducted directly and by third-party organizations.
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Human Rights Advocacy & Accountability 1 activity
- Raising global awareness about forensic sciences in human rightsRaises awareness about the role of forensic sciences in advancing human rights and humanitarian outcomes through social media, research, publications, events, and public education, including promoting the work of the Equipo Argentino de Antropología Forense and similar organizations.
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Uncategorized 4 activities
- Applying digital and technological methods to document human rights violationsUses digital forensic techniques such as sound ballistics, architectural analysis, satellite imagery, and video stitching to analyze human rights violations, including determining state responsibility in Nicaragua’s 2018 protests and disproving the Mexican government’s account of the Ayotzinapa case.
- Conducting forensic investigations to identify human remains and support justiceConducts searches for and identifies human remains of the disappeared in contexts of violence and humanitarian crisis, including through advanced technologies such as LiDAR to detect clandestine graves and 3D crime scene reconstructions. Activities include providing forensic evidence to courts and tribunals that has resulted in convictions or imprisonment of high-profile perpetrators in multiple countries.
- Providing forensic expertise in international and domestic legal proceedingsProvides scientific evidence to domestic and international tribunals, truth commissions, and transitional justice mechanisms, including in complex investigations such as the International Criminal Court’s work in the Central African Republic and judicial processes in Argentina, the Balkans, and Ukraine.
- Repatriating human remains and supporting families of the disappearedRepatriates human remains to victims' families in a manner that respects their values and beliefs, including through transnational efforts such as the Border Project along the Central America-Mexico-US corridor, which has identified hundreds of migrant bodies and built the largest forensic and genetic database on missing migrants.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$2K
Contributions & grants$2K100%
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expenses
Total expenses—
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balance sheet
Total assets$2K
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Net assets$2K
2 years on record · 2023–2024
relationships · 15
Who they work with
- American Association for the Advancement of Sciences Partner — Collaborated with FRIENDS OF EAAF to provide early training to forensic experts in Guatemala.
- Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team Partner — Mimi Doretti is a co-founder of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team, indicating a foundational and ongoing professional connection to the organization.
- CELS Partner — Alejandro Bautista worked for CELS, indicating a professional affiliation and organizational relationship.
- Center for Justice and International Law Partner — Collaborative relationship evidenced by shared leadership; Alejandro Bautista served as Deputy Director at CEJIL and Viviana Krsticevic is Executive Director.
- Commission for Missing Persons (Cyprus) Government — Requested the creation of the Bicommunal Forensic Team, which FRIENDS OF EAAF coordinated and trained.
- EAAF Network — Supports the work of EAAF in generating forensic evidence for human rights investigations.
- EAAF Partner — Alejandro Bautista worked for EAAF, indicating a direct organizational relationship; the name "Friends of EAAF" further suggests a supportive or auxiliary role.
- EAAF Partner — FRIENDS OF EAAF supports EAAF in applying advanced technologies to human rights investigations.
- EAAF Partner — Supports EAAF and its partner organizations in applying forensic sciences to human rights violations and humanitarian crises.
- Equipo Argentino de Antropología Forense Partner — Primary organization supported through advocacy and awareness-building efforts.
- Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation Partner — Provided early training to its experts in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences.
- International Committee of the Red Cross Partner — Collaborated on the Border Project and the establishment of Ukraine’s national forensic mechanism for identifying the disappeared.
- International Organization for Migration Partner — Recognized the Border Project as the “preferred model” for addressing crises of migrant disappearances.
- National Movement for our Disappeared Partner — Advocated together with FRIENDS OF EAAF for federal mechanisms to address over 100,000 disappearances in Mexico.
- Organization of American States Partner — Recognized the Border Project as the “preferred model” for addressing crises of migrant disappearances.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Awareness-to-Advocacy Pipelinemethodology: awareness-and-advocacyBy raising public awareness through research, events, and social media, the organization builds institutional support for forensic anthropology in human rights work, because broad public understanding generates political will and funding necessary to scale forensic interventions.
- Family-Centered Forensic Engagementmethodology: family-centered approachBy centering families of the disappeared in forensic investigations — through their requests, evidence contributions, participation in decision-making, and training — the organization increases the legitimacy, accuracy, and impact of identifications, because family involvement ensures culturally grounded, sustained advocacy and strengthens accountability.
- Forensic Accountability for Human Rightsmethodology: forensic-accountabilityBy applying forensic science — including physical evidence, DNA analysis, and digital forensics — to corroborate survivor and family testimony, the organization enables legal accountability for human rights violations, because forensic data transforms individual narratives into court-admissible evidence that can challenge official denial.
- Transnational Forensic Advocacy Networksmethodology: transnational_forensic_mechanismBy building transnational mechanisms that integrate families, legal actors, and governments — such as the Border Project — the organization creates scalable models for identifying missing migrants and advancing accountability, because cross-border collaboration institutionalizes forensic standards beyond the capacity of any single nation.