Submissions & Recommendations

An estimated 73 percent of Syrian refugees in Lebanon lack legal status, limiting their access to services and rendering them vulnerable to abuse. In this submission to the UPR, the GDP highlights the country’s discriminatory treatment of refugees – as well as its policies vis a vis migrant domestic workers – and suggests various recommendations that the UPR Working Group should consider proposing.

Despite its reliance on foreign labour, Oman features particularly restrictive immigration and sponsorship policies that make many non-nationals vulnerable to arrest, detention, and deportation. In a joint submission to the UPR, the GDP and Migrant-Rights.org highlight key concerns related to the country’s detention practices as well as the situation faced by foreign domestic workers who are excluded from labour laws.

Since the mid-2000s, Mauritania has served as a key focal point in European – particularly Spanish – efforts to block irregular migration flows. However, the country’s immigration detention practices raise significant concerns, including trafficking victims’ vulnerability to detention, poor detention conditions, and a lack of clarity regarding the operating status and jurisdiction of the country’s dedicated detention facility.

According to reports from national and international human rights monitors, the conditions that immigration detainees are held in in Bulgaria remain deeply concerning, with observers highlighting poor material conditions and instances of abuse.

Conditions within detention and reception facilities in Bosnia and Herzegvonia have long been a matter of concern for rights observers – and the Covid-19 crisis has only exacerbated these. In this submission to the UN Committee against Torture, the GDP highlights areas of concern and urges the committee to address various priorities prior to the presentation of BiH’s report.

Global Detention Project Response to Questionnaire of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants 15 May 2020 The Global Detention Project (GDP) completed a questionnaire for the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants concerning his thematic study on immigration detention of children. Questions addressed included: 1. Information on laws or policies […]

As a result of Covid-19, in-person sessions of the UN human rights sessions have been postponed until at least June. While the suspension is affecting the work of the treaty bodies, it is important that they undertake many of the mandated activities such as considerations of individual communications and urgent actions, adoption of lists of issues (LOIs) and lists of issues prior […]

Submission to the Working Group on Discrimination against Women in Law and in Practice (WGDW) in preparation for its visit to Romania on 24 February to 6 March 2020. The Global Detention Project (GDP) is an independent research centre based in Geneva, Switzerland, which investigates the use of detention as a response to international immigration. […]

United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights Geneva, 25-27 November 2019 On 27 November, the GDP’s Michael Flynn will join a panel organised by the Working Group on the use of mercenaries to discuss the use of private military and security companies (PMSCs) in immigration detention, as part of the United Nations Forum on […]

Joint Submission to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in Preparation for its Mission to Greece in December 2019 The Global Detention Project (GDP) and the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) are pleased to provide the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) the following submission in preparation for its visit to Greece in December 2019. […]

The GDP and MYLA are pleased to provide the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) the following submission in preparation for its visit to North Macedonia in 2019. The submission concerns detention of migrants and refugees.

During the 2nd cycle of the Universal Periodic Review of Croatia (22nd session, May 2015), the immigration detention policies and practices of Croatia do not appear to have been raised. However, as the GDP has documented in its reports on Croatia, as early as the mid-2000s, international and regional human rights observers have documented serious concerns about the country’s immigration detention practices.

Bulgaria has served as a transit country into the European Union (EU). While it received an important number of arrivals during the refugee “crisis,” the number of irregular non-citizens apprehended in the country has decreased dramatically, including a 90 percent drop between 2015 and 2017. Despite this decrease, immigration detention has remained a key tool in Bulgaria’s response to migration and asylum flows, in addition to other measures such as the construction of a border fence.

Since the beginning of the 2011 civil war in Libya, the country has experienced on-going armed conflict between rival militias and government forces. The resulting lawlessness has enabled armed groups, criminal gangs, smugglers, and traffickers to control much of the flow of migrants, sometimes with the direct backing of Italy and other European countries. As the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recently concluded, “Despite the overwhelming evidence of human rights violations and abuses, Libyan authorities have thus far appeared largely unable or unwilling to put an end to violations and abuses committed against migrants and refugees.”

Ireland: Issues Related to Immigration Detention Submission to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) in Preparation for its Visit to Ireland The Global Detention Project (GDP) is an independent research centre based in Geneva, Switzerland, that investigates the use of detention as a response to […]

Qatar: Issues Related to Immigration Detention Joint Submission with Migrant-Rights.org to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in Preparation for its Mission to Qatar on 3-14 November 2019 The Global Detention Project (GDP) and Migrant-Rights.org are pleased to provide the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) this joint submission in preparation for the WGAD’s visit […]

Earlier this month, it came to light that due to delays in payments from UN member states and travel budget cuts for UN representatives, six of the UN human rights treaty bodies are facing severe and unexpected budget cuts that are likely to result in the cancellation of the reviews of states parties scheduled for […]

In April, the GDP submitted information to the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and their Families (CMW) following a call for stakeholders to provide inputs on a detailed questionnaire to be used in drafting General Comment No.5 on Migrants’ Rights to Liberty and Freedom from Arbitrary Detention. The CMW […]

Foreigners account for nearly 90 percent of Qatar’s 2.2 million population, and thousands – including pregnant women and their children – have been detained in recent years, sometimes for periods lasting more than a year and in overcrowded conditions. The GDP and Migrant-Rights.Org’s latest submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination highlights the conditions migrants face, and presents key concerns that Qatar should address.

In 2013, following its examination of the combined third and fourth periodic reports of Luxembourg, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) recommended that Luxembourg adopt legislation to prevent the detention of unaccompanied children. Today, however, the country’s legislation continues to allow for their detention. In our latest submission to the CRC, the GDP poses key questions that Luxembourg should be urged to address.

Niger has long been a country of origin as well as of transit. More recently, there has been a steady flow of return migration as well as evacuations from North Africa. In its humanitarian plan for Niger for 2018, UNICEF explains that “Multi-sectoral humanitarian interventions will cover new areas, including those affected by the Malian border crisis and locations registering increasing numbers of vulnerable migrant children returning from Algeria and Libya.”

France has one of Europe’s oldest and most widespread immigration detention systems, and within the Council of Europe, it detains the largest number of non-citizens—in 2016, it placed a record 46,000 foreigners in detention. However, during the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture’s (CPT) last visit to France in 2015, members did not visit […]

Saudi Arabia Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council 31st session, November 2018 The Global Detention Project (GDP) is a non-profit research centre based in Geneva, Switzerland, that investigates the use of detention in response to global migration. The GDP’s aims include: (1) providing researchers, advocates, and journalists with a […]

Malaysia Submission to the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council 31st session, November 2018   The Global Detention Project (GDP) is an independent research centre based in Geneva that investigates the use of detention as a response to international migration. Its objectives are to improve transparency in the treatment of detainees, to encourage […]

  Algérie: Problèmes Liés Á La Détention Des Migrants Information à destination du Comité des travailleurs migrants (CMW) 28ème Session (9-20 avril 2018) Genève, mars 2018 Le Global Detention Project (GDP) et le Collectif Loujna Tounkaranké apprécient l’occasion qui leur est offerte de fournir des informations en amont de l’examen du deuxième rapport périodique de l’Algérie […]

Saudi Arabia Global Detention Project and Migrant-Rights.org joint Submission to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) 69th session (19th February – 9 March 2018) Geneva, January 2018 Issues related to immigration detention     The Global Detention Project (GDP) and Migrant-Rights.org welcome the opportunity to provide information relevant to the consideration of […]

Germany Joint Global Detention Project and Jesuit Refugee Service Germany Submission to the Universal Periodic Review 30th session of the UPR Working Group, May 2018   Submitting organisations The Global Detention Project (GDP) is an independent research centre based in Geneva, which investigates the use of detention as a response to international migration. Its objectives […]

The GDP submitted comments to the UN Special Representative for International Migration as part of the preparatory phase for the Secretary-General’s report on the Global Compact for Migration. The submission focuses on immigration detention, improved transparency and data collection on the human rights of migrants, and concerns about the human rights commitments of international organizations involved in global migration governance.

 Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers 27th Session (4-13 September 2017) List of issues under the simplified reporting procedure – Libya Geneva, August 2016   Issues concerning immigration detention   The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information relevant to the list of issues under the simplified […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) 76th Session (11 – 29 September 2017) Consideration of State Report – Denmark (fifth period report) Geneva, 10 August 2017   Issues concerning immigration detention   The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information for consideration of […]

 United Arab Emirates Global Detention Project – Migrant-rights.org Joint Submission to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) 93 Session (31 Jul 2017 – 25 Aug 2017) Geneva, July 2017   The Global Detention Project (GDP) is an independent research centre based in Geneva, Switzerland, that investigates the use of detention as […]

In follow up to participation in the Council of Europe hearing on the draft legal instrument codifying the existing standards related to the conditions of administrative detention of migrants, held in ​ Strasbourg 22-23 June 2017 the GDP submitted written comments to European Committee on Legal Co-operation on 12 July 2017. See details on the […]

France Universal Period Review – 3rd Cycle Submission to the Universal Periodic Review by the Global Detention Project (Geneva, Switzerland)   29th Session of the UPR Working Group, January-February 2018   Submitted on 29 June 2017 The Global Detention Project (GDP) is an independent research centre based in Geneva, Switzerland, that investigates the use of […]

United Arab Emirates Universal Period Review – 3rd Cycle Submission to the Universal Periodic Review by the Global Detention Project (Geneva, Switzerland)   29th Session of the UPR Working Group, January-February 2018   Submitted on 28 June 2017 The Global Detention Project (GDP) is an independent research centre based in Geneva, Switzerland, that investigates the […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Pre-sessional Working Group for the 69th session (24-28 July 2017) Saudi Arabia Geneva, June 2017   Issues related to immigration detention   The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information relevant to the Consideration of the Combined […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Pre-sessional Working Group for the 69th session (24-28 July 2017) Malaysia Geneva, June 2017   Issues related to immigration detention   The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information relevant to the Consideration of the combined third […]

EXAMEN PERIÓDICO UNIVERSAL – 3º CICLO APORTE AL EXAMEN DE ARGENTINA Derechos de las personas migrantes Estimados y estimadas: Nos dirigimos a Uds. en representación de Abogados y Abogadas del Noroeste Argentino en Derechos Humanos y Estudios Sociales (ANDHES)[1]; el Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)[2]; el Colectivo para La Diversidad (COPADI)[3]; la Comisión […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) 61st Session (29 May – 23 June 2017) Geneva, May 2017   Issues related to immigration detention The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information relevant to the Consideration of the fifth periodic report of Australia (due […]

Statement to the Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries Panel on “PMSCs in places of deprivation of liberty and their impact on human rights” Michael Flynn, Global Detention Project 27 April 2017   I am the Director of the Global Detention Project, a research center based in Geneva that documents the use of detention […]

Czech Republic Joint Global Detention Project, Organization for Aid to Refugees and Forum for Human Rights Submission to the Universal Periodic Review 28th session of the UPR Working Group, October-November 2017   Submitting organisations The Global Detention Project (GDP) is an independent research centre based in Geneva, which investigates the use of immigration-related detention as […]

  ARGENTINA Universal Period Review – 3rd Cycle   Submission to the Universal Periodic Review by the Global Detention Project (Geneva, Switzerland) 28th Session of the UPR Working Group, October-November 2017   Submitted on 30 March 2017   The Global Detention Project (GDP) is an independent research centre based in Geneva, Switzerland, that investigates the […]

Guatemala Global Detention Project Submission to the Universal Periodic Review 28th session of the UPR Working Group, October-November 2017   Submitting organisation The Global Detention Project (GDP) is an independent research centre based in Geneva, which investigates the use of detention as a response to international migration. Its objectives are to improve transparency in the treatment […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) 26th Session (3-13 April 2017) Egypt Geneva, March 2017 Issues concerning immigration detention   The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information relevant to the list of issues prior to reporting for the second periodic report of Egypt (due in […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) 26th Session (3-13 April 2017) Algeria Geneva, March 2017     Issues concerning immigration detention The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information relevant to the list of issues relating to the second periodic report of Algeria (CMW/C/DZA/2) with respect […]

Joint Global Detention Project and Pueblos Unidos Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child 77 Session, Pre-Sessional Working Group (5-9 June 2017) Consideration of State Report – Spain (combined fifth and sixth period report) Geneva, 28 February 2017   ISSUES CONCERNING IMMIGRATION DETENTION The Global Detention Project (GDP) and Pueblos Unidos […]

INDONESIA Global Detention Project Submission to the Universal Periodic Review 27th session of the UPR Working Group, April-May 2017 Submitted on 22 September 2016   Submitting organisation The Global Detention Project (GDP) was founded in 2005 at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. In 2014, it was launched as an independent non-profit […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) 25th Session (29 August – 7 September 2016) Honduras   Geneva, August 2016   Issues concerning immigration detention The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information relevant to the consideration of the initial report of Honduras (CMW/C/HHND/1 19 May 2016) […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) 25th Session (29 August – 7 September 2016) List of issues prior to reporting – Mexico   Geneva, August 2016 Issues concerning immigration detention The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information ahead of submission of the third report of […]

  Global Detention Project Submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) 64th session (4 – 22 July 2016)   The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information for consideration of the combined seventh and eighth periodic report of France (CEDAW/C/FRA/7- 8) submitted to the Committee on the […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee 117th Session (20 June – 15 July 2016) Consideration of State Report – Denmark (sixth periodic report) Geneva, 20 April 2016   Issues concerning immigration detention (article 9 and 10 of the ICCPR) The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information for […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child 72 Session (17 May 2016 – 03 Jun 2016) Consideration of State Report – Slovakia (combined third, fourth, and fifth period report) Geneva, 13 April 2016   ISSUES CONCERNING IMMIGRATION DETENTION The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child 72 Session (17 May 2016 – 03 Jun 2016) Consideration of State Report – Bulgaria (Consolidated Third, Fourth and Fifth Periodic Reports) Geneva, 14 April 2016   Issues concerning immigration detention The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee (CCPR) 117th Session (20 June – 15 July 2016) Country Report Task Force for the adoption of the list of issues – Thailand Geneva, 7 April 2016   The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information for the Committee Country Report Task […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee against Torture (CAT) 57 Session (18 Apr 2016 – 13 May 2016)                                                                        […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers 24th Session (11 – 22 April 2016) Consideration of State Report – Turkey Geneva, March 2016   Issues concerning immigration detention The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide further information in follow up to its 2013 submission[1] to the list of […]

  Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) 24 Session (11-22 April 2016) List of issues prior to reporting – Indonesia Geneva, March 2016   Issues concerning immigration detention   The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information relevant to the list of issues prior to the presentation […]

Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child 74th Pre-Sessional Working Group (6-10 June 2016) – Qatar (Third and Fourth Periodic Report) Geneva, 1 March 2016   Issues concerning immigration detention The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information relevant to the consideration of the Third and […]

Submission of the Global Detention Project for the CMW-CRC General Comment on the Human Rights of Children in the Context of International Migration 29 February 2016 The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide a written contribution to the Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) and the Committee on the Rights of the Child […]

Submission in relation to the European Ombudsman’s own-initiative inquiry concerning the means through which Frontex ensures respect for fundamental rights in joint return operations.

This submission is provided in response to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s March 2015 Call for Input on the revised “Draft Principles and Guidelines on remedies and procedures on: The right of anyone deprived of his or her liberty by arrest or detention to bring proceedings before a court without delay, in order that the court may decide […]