Mixed news on detention gains and challenges in MENA
Success for Israeli human rights groups fighting the Anti-Infiltration Law, as reported on in past IDM updates. This month the Supreme Court ruled that the detention of migrants, largely African, was unlawful and ruled that the prolonged detention of asylum seekers is unconstitutional. The government are to release those currently detained under the law. The government has 90 days to act, and so the challenge is not over yet. The IDC congratulates members, including Hotline for Migrant Workers, for their role in this successful challenge.
In other positive news, Moroccan IDC members, GADEM, played a key role in developing the Moroccan civil society report to the United Nations Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families who this month examined Morocco’s implementation of the related Convention. The report was well received by the committee, who made a number of strong recommendations to the Government of Morocco. Press reports indicate that the Government of Morocco is now looking to improve the situation for migrant workers in Morocco.
Despite positive indications (with a long way still to go in both Morocoo and Israel), refugees, asylum seekers and migrants continue to face risk of immigration detention across MENA region. This month there have been disturbing reports not only of detention of Syrian refugees in Egypt, but of 2 refugees killed when the Egyptian coast guard shot at a boat full of refugees attempting to sail for Italy. From Libya, reports that parts of the Tripoli zoo are now being used as an immigration detention centre.
IDC membership in MENA region continues to grow
IDC membership in the MENA region continues to grow, with a number of new IDC membership applications received from organizations working in Mauritania, Egypt, Yemen Jordan during the UNHCR consultations.
The IDC is happy to welcome these new members and looks forward to exploring how IDC can support their efforts on engaging authorities on alternatives to detention and improved detention conditions.
It was also great to see IDC members from Israel represented strongly at the UNHCR consultations, with concerns about immigration detention, as well as kidnapping and torture, of those en route to Israel tabled as concerns.
The IDC also had successful meetings with UNHCR's Bureau staff for the Middle East and North Africa.
IDC discuss ATD and impact of detention on children in Israel
The IDC took part in two events last month in partnership with IDC members Hotline for Migrant Workers and Physicians for Human Rights and Israeli Children.
The first event was a roundtable discussion on alternatives to detention for children.
During the day, IDC members from Australia (Ida Kaplan of Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture) and the USA (Michelle Brane of the Women’s Refugee Commission) shared their experiences in building alternatives to detention in collaboration with government, including through joint working groups and use of case in order to fast-track case resolution.
The second event was a public forum with widespread civil society attendance wherein current concerns around the use of immigration detention for children in Israel were presented on and discussed by Hotline for Migrant Workers and Israeli children.
Along with presentations from IDC team and members on the impact of detention on children and families, the forum discussed use of detention and alternatives globally, and global campaign efforts to support the use of alternatives to detention for children.
The IDC will continue to work with our members in Israel to support efforts to end the immigration detention of children in the first instance.
Middle East & North Africa Regional Detention News: URGENT Appeal for support for AMERA Egypt!
AMERA Egypt, a longtime IDC member, is facing imminent closure due to a lack of funding.
At present, AMERA provides free and extremely critical legal, social and mental health services to refugees, asylum seekers and trafficked persons in Egypt.
The closure of AMERA will have significant negative consequences for these vulnerable populations in Egypt, both in and out of immigration detention, and as such, the IDC now calls upon our supporters and members to support this urgent appeal for emergency funds to keep AMERA open.
Please consider how you or your networks may be able to assist, and share this urgent appeal widely, see http://www.amera-egypt.org/
HRW: Israel pressures asylum seekers to leave (JPost)
"Human Rights Watch and the Hotline for Migrant Workers released a report on Wednesday stating that Israel is threatening detained Eritrean and Sudanese nationals, including asylum-seekers, with prolonged detention to pressure them to leave Israel.
The report said that since December 11, 2012, 'Israel’s pressure has convinced several hundred detained Sudanese and one Eritrean to leave Israel, and in February 2013, some 50 detained Eritreans agreed under similar pressure to leave for Uganda.'"
Read the full story by Yonah Jeremy Bob
Israel: UN Refugee Agency petitions High Court to overturn infiltration law (Haaretz)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has submitted a request to file a friend of the court brief with Israel's High Court of Justice, the case representing a petition by all human rights organisations fighting for refugee rights in Israel.
Read the full story by Talila Nesher
MENA: Use of immigration detention a growing concern in Libya and Yemen
As 2012 draws to a close, immigration detention across the Middle East and North Africa continues to grow as an issue of major concern.
Media and member reports from across the region point to real concerns in Libya, where refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, including children, continue to be held in adhoc, makeshift detention facilities, in incredibly poor conditions with no oversight.
In Yemen, people travelling from Eritrea, Ethiopia and beyond continue to be detained upon arrival, and in Israel, people ariving are detained under the harsh anti-infiltration laws in desert detention facilities.
In Jordan, groups have expressed concern about the detention of some of those fleeing Syria. Furthermore, people on the move in the region are not only at risk of immigration detention, but also of kidnap, torture and exortion, as seen in Egypt and Yemen for example.
The IDC is looking for opportunities to engage with members and interested stakeholders on practical projects in the region next year, in the areas of capacity building, alternatives to detention, and preventing immigration detention of children.
Please contact Lucy Bowring ([email protected]) with any ideas or interest in being involved.
Middle East & North Africa: IDC reaches out to MENA region in light of international IDC research launch
Immigration detention across the Africa region is an ongoing concern.
Contributing to this concern however is the lack of clear and transparent information about who is detained, where people are detained, for what purpose and for how long.
These questions are critical when it comes to building strategies to prevent immigration detention from occurring, particularly for vulnerable groups.
In Tanzania this month, IDC member Asylum Access Tanzania, together with local NGOs, initiated an exploration of the issues surrounding immigration detention in Tanzania and potential advocacy strategies to address issues exposed.
Increasing legal immigration channels to save lives?
In MENA, news of more deaths at sea, as well as deaths in desert areas at the hands of human traffickers, is highlighted this month.
Escape from Africa (Good Governance Africa)
The Migrants who cross the Sahara to reach Europe (BBC News Africa)
Migrant dreams turn into Sahara sex work (BBC News Africa)
Notably, discussions between the EU and AU held in April focused on plans to increase legal immigration channels and in doing so reduce the market for smugglers and traffickers - and save lives.
EU, AU summit plan to boost legal immigration (Business Day)
EU-Africa summit agrees plan to stop migration tragedies (AFP)