The Global Detention Project’s Executive Committee today announces a leadership change, with the appointment of Kirsten Sandberg as the Board’s Interim President, replacing Sahar Okhovat. The former Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Ms. Sandberg joined the GDP’s Executive Committee in 2019. She has been an unwavering source of […]
Publications & Events
Joint Letter on the Impact of the UN Liquidity Crisis and the UN80 Initiative on Children’s Rights
In a joint letter, more than 100 signatories–including the Global Detention Project–have urged the Permanent Missions to the United Nations in Geneva and New York and the Secretary-General of the UN to ensure that any reforms proposed in the name of efficiency do not weaken the protection and promotion of children’s rights. […]
Morocco: Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
Migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking children in Morocco are extremely vulnerable to detention and other harmful immigration enforcement measures despite years of efforts by civil society organisations and human rights monitoring bodies to advocate for reforms. […]
Mexico’s Immigration Policies and Human Rights – Global Detention Project Working Paper No. 26
In this critical examination of Mexico’s history of immigration control, authors Flynn and Ortiz-Gonzalez demonstrate the country’s use of euphemistic language to reframe coercive practices as humanitarian ones, concealing the persistence of punitive migration enforcement and masking its on-going role as a surrogate enforcer of U.S migration control.
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Oman: Submission to the Universal Periodic Review
Despite the introduction of significant new legislation (including the 2023 Labour Law) since Oman’s third periodic review by the UPR Working Group, concerning protection gaps still remain–leaving vulnerable groups, particularly migrant domestic workers, at continued risk of detention and deportation.
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Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
Since late June, Iran has expelled more than half a million Afghan refugees–coinciding with the country’s brief war with Israel. “We urge the Special Rapporteur not to overlook the plight of the millions of undocumented Afghan refugees in the country, whose plight often gets overlooked amidst the surge of conflicts, tragedies, and humanitarian crises afflicting the greater Middle East today.” […]
From Pledges to Practice: Scaling Up Responses on Alternatives to Detention, Protection at Sea and Trafficking
On 7 July, the GDP’s Refugee Advocacy Coordinator spoke at a UNHCR-led event on the harmful impacts of immigration detention, as well as the emergence and on-going challenge of ‘alternatives to detention’ (ATDs) and how we might reframe ATDs from a harm-reduction point of view. […]
“These Small Victories are the Lifeblood of Change”: 2024 Annual Report
Viewing the migration and refugee landscape today, it is all too easy to despair. Which is why it is so important for us to take stock of the real impacts that we have made. As this Annual Report shows, the GDP continues to make an important difference across many countries and in numerous arenas, even if it may seem at times a quixotic or improbable struggle. But these small victories are the lifeblood of change. […]
Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants: The Externalisation of Migration Controls
Ahead of the UN Special Rapporteur on Migrants’ production of a new thematic report examining the externalisation of migration, asylum, and border policies–a critically important and timely topic that is impacting the ability of migrants across the world to enjoy their fundamental rights–the GDP has provided input highlighting the venues for challenging externalised migration controls. […]
Vietnam: Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee
Despite Vietnam’s growing importance in international migration and the increasing numbers of reports about harmful detention practices, to date the country’s immigration enforcement regime has not been adequately scrutinised by international human rights monitoring bodies. In this submission, the GDP and APRRN urge the CCPR to take steps to ensure that Vietnam is aware of its binding legal responsibilities concerning migrants in the country, especially with respect to ICCPR Articles 2, 9, 10, 13, and 14. […]
