New Report: Child Detention in Thailand
A new report by Human Rights Watch entitled "Two Years with No Moon: Immigration Detention of Children in Thailand" details how Thailand is detaining thousands of refugee and migrant children each year on the basis of their immigration status or that of their parents.
41 migrant children and 64 adults who had been detained, arrested, or otherwise affected by interactions with police and immigration officials were interviewed for the report.
According to Alice Farmer, children's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch and author of the report, "[m]igrant children detained in Thailand are suffering needlessly in filthy, overcrowded cells without adequate nutrition, education, or exercise space". The report calls for Thailand to immediately adopt alternatives to detention for children, such as open reception centers and conditional release programs"
IDC Attends APRRN's 5th Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights
The IDC attended the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network's (APRRN) 5th Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights (APCRR5), held from 2nd to 4th September 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Attended by over 150 participants from 22 countries, the focus of APCRR5 was on strengthening regional protection, including key issues and trends around immigration detention and alternatives to detention in the Asia Pacific region.
Action plans for South East Asia, South Asia, East Asia and the region as a whole were discussed and finalized, with exciting initiatives and opportunities for collaboration ahead.
The IDC's Asia Pacific Regional Coordinator was elected to the position of Chair of the Immigration Detention Working Group and will serve in that position in APPRN's steering committee until the next APCRR in 2016.
Materials from APCRR5 can be found here.
Asia-Pacific News Round Up July / August
Evidence of the negative impact immigration detention has on people is mounting, with a chief immigration psychiatrist from providing insight into Australia's process.
Australian run detention centres on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea are to be 'wound down' with claims to be directed to the small island nation of Nauru.
Two former guards have been charged with the murder of 23-year-old Reza Barati, an Iranian asylum seeker beaten to death during unrest inside the Manus Island immigration detention, and reports are emerging that another Iranian asylum seeker who had been detained on Manus Island has been declared 'brain dead' after a cut turned to septicaemia in 'shocking' detention conditions.
Just days before appearing in the National Inquiry into child detention, Australia's Immigration Minister has freed 15o children from mainland detention, with concerns raised about the children who remain in detention.
Meanwhile, the Guardian has analysed the cost of and declared Australia's policy of mandatory immigration detention a billion-dollar business.
Immigration raids have resulted in 351 children locked in detention in East Malaysia.
Tens of thousands of people are fleeing violence in Myanmar and are at risk of being detained in Malaysia, a new report from UNHCR reveals.
UNHCR expressed alarm over Sri Lanka increasing deportations of refugees and asylum seekers, including families outside of detention.
In Indonesia, where reports of destitute people bribing officials to be placed into immigration detention are increasing, new President elect Joko Widodo includes promoting respect for human rights in ASEAN in his program.
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The news roundup for July & August is an amalgamation of tweets from our Asia Pacific Regional Coordinator, and retweets of members and news in the region. Stay up to date by following @idcAsiaPacific on Twitter.
Detención de niños, niñas y adolescentes: Una nueva alianza internacional
GINEBRA (2 Septiembre 2014) -
Se crea el Grupo de Trabajo Interinstitucional para la Erradicación de la Detención de Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes
Mientras el impacto que causa la detención a niños, niñas y adolescentes refugiados, solicitantes de asilo y migrantes continuó recibiendo atención mediática en meses recientes, se creó un nuevo Grupo de Trabajo Interinstitucional (IAWG, por sus siglas en inglés) para la Erradicación de la Detención de Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes Migrantes. La formación del Grupo de Trabajo se realizó en seguimiento a un evento paralelo del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas que se llevó a cabo en Ginebra en junio 2014.
Este grupo interinstitucional está conformado por dieciséis destacados grupos de Naciones Unidas, organizaciones intergubernamentales y representantes de la sociedad civil quienes, de forma colectiva, representan a actores de todos los países del mundo. En conjunto, se han comprometido a un plazo de compromiso de tres años durante el cual buscarán asistir a los Estados con el fin de erradicar de manera “total y expedita” la detención de niños, niñas y adolescentes migrantes, tal y como se establece en la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño de las Naciones Unidas. Este logro da cuenta de que, en los últimos cinco años, la discusión sobre la detención de niños, niñas y adolescentes migrantes se ha vuelto más visible en la agenda global. Tanto los socios de la ONU como los de la sociedad civil han llevado a cabo esfuerzos de investigación y cabildeo para demostrar que la detención de niños, niñas y adolescentes migrantes nunca esta en el interés superior del niño. Las investigaciones demuestran de manera cada vez más contundente que incluso un periodo muy limitado de detención en condiciones relativamente humanas tiene severos efectos negativos a largo plazo en la salud física y mental, así como en el desarrollo de los niños, niñas y adolescentes.
Historia
En la sesión de marzo 2012 del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU, los defensores de los derechos de los niños, niñas y adolescentes y de las personas migrantes, con el apoyo de la Coalición Internacional contra la Detención (IDC, por sus siglas en inglés) y la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados (ACNUR), lanzaron la Campaña Global ¡Alto a la Detención de Niñ@s Migrantes! Esta campaña ya fue suscrita por más de 100 organizaciones en más de 40 países, y no para de crecer. Ese mismo año, en septiembre de 2012, como parte del Día General de Discusión que se lleva a cabo cada año en el Comité de los Derechos del Niño de la ONU, la sociedad civil y los expertos de la ONU se sentaron a discutir un tema urgente: la detención de niños, niñas y adolescentes migrantes y sus familias. Esto generó una recomendación por parte del CDN que expresaba que los Estados deben cesar “de forma total y expedita” la detención de niños, niñas y adolescentes migrantes. Asimismo, el Comité declaró por primera vez en la historia que la detención niños, niñas y adolescentes por motivo de su estatus migratorio o el de sus padres constituye una violación a los derechos del niño:
“Los niños no deberán ser criminalizados ni sujetos a medidas punitivas por motivo de su estatus migratorio o el de sus padres. La detención de un niño por su estatus migratorio o el de sus padres constituye una violación a los derechos del niño y contraviene en toda ocasión el principio del interés superior del niño. Por ello, los Estados deberán, de forma total y expedita, cesar la detención de los niños por motivos de su estatus migratorio.”
Se hizo un llamado a los Estados a que adoptaran una serie de alternativas a la detención (ATD, por sus siglas en inglés) que deben cumplir con el interés superior del niño y permitirle a los niños, niñas y adolescentes permanecer con sus familiares y/o tutores en un contexto comunitario y no privativo de la libertad durante el tiempo que se tarde en resolver su situación migratoria.
En marzo 2014, en el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU, un grupo amplio de actores que incluyó organizaciones defensoras de los derechos de los niños y de las personas migrantes, así como viejos partidarios de la Campaña Global ¡Alto a la Detención de Niñ@s Migrantes! llevó a cabo un evento paralelo en el que se exploró “Una estrategia global para poner un alto a la detención de niños, niñas y adolescentes migrantes.” Inmediatamente después de este evento paralelo, los grupos se reunieron para formar un Grupo de Trabajo Interinstitucional para la Erradicación de la Detención de Menores Migrantes (IAWG). El mandato se desarrolló a lo largo de los siguientes meses y la primera reunión oficial del dicho IAWG se llevó a cabo en junio 2014 al margen del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU.
Posición Central
Los miembros del IAWG creen que los niños, niñas y adolescentes refugiados, solicitantes de asilo y migrantes deberán:
- Ser tratados como niñ@s Los niños, niñas y adolescentes son, ante todo, niños, y el trato que se les brinde deberá cumplir con lo establecido en el derecho internacional pertinente a los derechos de la niñez.
- Ser libres La libertad es un derecho humano fundamental. Los niños, niñas y adolescentes nunca deberán ser detenidos simplemente por su estatus migratorio o el de sus padres o tutores.
- Ser cuidados Ante cualquier acción que lleve a cabo un Estado y que involucre a un niño, niña o adolescente, la consideración principal deberá ser el interés superior del niño. La detención de un niño, niña o adolescente por motivos migratorios contraviene siempre el principio del interés superior del niño. A los niños no acompañados y a aquellos que hayan sido separados de sus padres deberán asignárseles tutores.
- Ser parte de la comunidad Los niños y familias deberán ser puestos en un contexto comunitario, libres de cualquier detención durante el tiempo que tarde resolver su situación migratoria. Cuando resulte necesario, los Estados deberán implementar leyes y políticas que garanticen la existencia de dichos modelos de colocación comunitaria.
- Estar con sus padres De acuerdo con los principios de la unidad familiar, los padres y los cuidadores primarios no deberán ser detenidos, sino que se les deberá permitir vivir en un ambiente comunitario con sus hijos, esto durante el tiempo que tarde su estatus migratorio en dirimirse.
La posición central de la IAWG encuentra disponible también aquí.
Información adicional
Para más información del Grupo de Trabajo Interinstitucional para la Erradicación de la Detención de Menores Migrantes, contacte a Ben Lewis
Moves towards ending child detention in Australia
The Australian Government has announced that children detained in immigration detention on the mainland of Australia will be placed into alternative community-based arrangements.
The announcement came just a few days before the Minister for Immigration, Scott Morrison, was called before a national inquiry into immigration detention of children. The current national inquiry is the second in Australia's history, the first resulting in recommendations published in A Last Resort.
IDC members in the region have expressed concern for the Australian government policy which leaves children detained in offshore immigration facilities, and has created a two-tiered system for children below and above age 10.
The Refugee Council of Australia says its 'Time to end detention of children once and for all" and there is "No excuse for ongoing detention of children" while the Asylum Seeker Resource centre calls on the state to Release Remaining 745 Children from Detention.
Child detention: a new international alliance
GENEVA (2 September 2014) -
The impact of immigration detention on refugee, asylum seeker and migrant children continued to gain international attention in recent months as a new Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) to End Child Immigration Detention was formed following a side event at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in June 2014.
The inter-agency group is comprised of sixteen prominent UN groups, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society representatives who collectively represent stakeholders in every country of the world. Together, they have committed to a 3-year term of engagement in which they will seek to assist states to “completely and expeditiously” end the practice of child immigration detention, consistent with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
This development recognizes that over the past five years, the issue of child immigration detention has risen in importance on the global agenda. UN and civil society partners alike have undertaken significant research and lobbying to demonstrate that immigration detention of children can never be in a child's best interests. And research increasingly shows that even very limited periods of detention in relatively humane contexts has severe negative, and longterm, impacts on child mental and physical health and development.
History
Beginning with the March 2012 session of the UN Human Rights Council, child and migrant rights advocates, with the support of the International Detention Coalition (IDC) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), launched a Global Campaign to End the Immigration Detention of Children. This campaign has now been endorsed by over 100 organisations in more than 40 countries, and continues to grow.
Later that year, in September 2012, at the annual Day of General Discussion of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, civil society and UN experts discussed the pressing issue of child and family immigration detention. This led the CRC Committee to recommend that states “expeditiously and completely” cease the immigration detention of children, and to clarify--for the first time ever--that the immigration detention of children on the basis of their or their parent's immigration status constitutes a child rights violation:
“Children should not be criminalized or subject to punitive measures because of their or their parents’ migration status. The detention of a child because of their or their parents’ migration status constitutes a child rights violation and always contravenes the principle of the best interests of the child. In this light, States should expeditiously and completely cease the detention of children on the basis of their immigration status.”
States were therefore called upon to adopt alternatives to detention (ATD) that fulfil the best interests of the child and allow children to remain with their family members and/or guardians in non-custodial, community-based contexts while their immigration status is being resolved.
In March 2014, at the UN Human Rights Council, a broad stakeholder group of child rights organizations, migrant groups and longtime supporters of the Global Campaign to End the Immigration Detention of Children hosted a side-event where they explored “A Global Strategy to End Child Immigration Detention.” Immediately following this side-event, groups met and agreed to form an Inter-Agency Working Group to End Child Immigration Detention (IAWG). Terms of reference were developed in the following months and the first official meeting of the IAWG was held in June 2014 on the margins of the UN Human Rights Council.
Core Position
IAWG members believe that all refugee, asylum seeker and migrant children should be:
- Treated as children
Children are, first and foremost, children and should be treated in full accordance with international law regarding child rights. - Free
Liberty is a fundamental human right. Children should never be detained solely based upon their or their parents or guardians’ immigration status. - Looked after
The best interests of the child must be the primary consideration in any action that a State might take in relation to a child. The immigration detention of children always contravenes the principle of the best interests of the child. Unaccompanied or separated children should be appointed an independent guardian. - In the community
Children and families should be accommodated together in non-custodial, community-based contexts while their immigration status is being resolved. When necessary, states should implement legislation and policies ensuring appropriate community-based placement models exist in practice. - With their parents
Consistent with the principles of family unity, parents or primary care-givers should not be detained, but should be allowed to live in the community setting with their children, while having their status assessed.
The IAWG core position is also available here.
More Information
For more information on the IAWG to End Child Immigration Detention, contact Ben Lewis
IDC, APRRN and SUAKA national planning in Jakarta
The IDC, in partnership with the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) and the Indonesian Civil Society Network for Refugee Rights Protection (SUAKA) visited Jakarta from 18th to 20th September 2014 to conduct strategic planning and preparation for an immigration detention round table, anticipated to take place in November 2014.
IDC, APRRN and SUAKA also had productive discussions with the Indonesian Human Rights Commission (KOMNAS-HAM), UNHCR Indonesia and Mr. Rafendi Djamin, Indonesia's representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR).
Crackdown on Irregular Migrant Workers in Thailand
There have been reports of a large-scale crackdown on irregular migrants in Thailand this June. Cambodian migrant workers have been particularly impacted, though their Burmese counterparts have also reportedly been arrested, detained and deported. This has led to a mass exodus of migrants from Thailand, with more than 140,000 undocumented Cambodian workers having fled Thailand in early June, according to the IOM.
Arrest and detention of refugees and asylum seekers in Sri Lanka
The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, an IDC member, has issued this urgent statement calling for the Sri Lankan government to cease the arbitrary arrest and detention of refugees and asylum seekers.
Reports indicate that from 9 June 2014, a large number of persons of concern to UNHCR were arrested and detained in various detention facilities in Colombo, Boossa and Mirihana.
This follows a visit by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants who expressed his regret over Sri Lanka's policy of mandatory administrative detention with no maximum time limits on detention and no alternatives to detention.
Australia: Hunger Strikes, Unanswered Qs & Closures
Hunger Strikes
Hundreds of asylum seekers in Australian-run immigration detention on Christmas Island have taken part in a hunger strike, seven of whom have stitched together their lips. Read More
Unanswered Q's over death in detention
Critical questions about Manus Island violence, which resulted in the death of an asylum seeker in an Australian immigration detention centre remain unanswered. The Cornall Report, which investigated the violence found all parties responsible, yet none accountable. IDC Member the Refugee Council of Australia released this statement.
Detention Centre closures
In a bid to save costs, The Australian Government has confirmed that six detention centres in Australia will be closed, the majority of them on the mainland. IDC Members released this statement, urging that the closures will be complimented with community-based alternatives to detention.