The third Africa regional IDC workshop was held September 25 – 26 in Johannesburg, in partnership with IDC members Lawyers for Human Rights.
The event was attended by 35 people, a diverse mix of IDC members, national human rights institutes, UNHCR and IOM participants from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Malawi, Botswana and South Africa.
Importantly and for the first time at an IDC event in the Africa region, government representatives from Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa also participated in the workshop, creating a great opportunity for civil society and government to discuss challenges of mixed migration management in the region, and how increased collaboration and regular channels for discussion can help prevent unnecessary detention.
Discussions focused on the use of screening and assessment as key mechanisms to prevent unnecessary immigration detention. Ideas and practices from across the region were presented, with country group breakout sessions focussing on how to move forward in strengthening collaboration, access to detention, screening, assessment and referrals.
The IDC thanks all attendees for their honest contributions and enthusiastic participation, and a huge thank you to IDC members LHR for co-hosting the event.