Brazil

Detains migrants or asylum seekers?

Rarely

Refugees

67,522

2022

Asylum Applications

206,764

2022

International Migrants

1,079,708

2020

Population

216,400,000

2023

International Migrants as % of Population

0.51%

2020

Overview

Types of facilities used for migration-related detention
Administrative Ad Hoc Criminal Unknown

19 May 2020 – Brazil

Brazil has the most Covid-19 cases and deaths in South America, (241,080 cases and 16,122 deaths as of 18 May). However, the Bolsonaro government has been notoriously dismissive of the pandemic, with the president saying that “unemployment, hunger and misery will be the future of those who support the tyranny of total isolation.” On 23 […]

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A Queue of People Forms at an MSF Clinic Where Staff Evaluate and Screen Homeless People for Covid-19 in Sao Paulo, (Médecins Sans Frontières,
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DETENTION STATISTICS

Total Migration Detainees: Flow + Stock (year)
Not Available
2019

DETAINEE DATA

Total Number of Children Placed in Immigration Detention (Year)
0
2017

DETENTION CAPACITY

ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION

ADDITIONAL ENFORCEMENT DATA

PRISON DATA

Criminal Prison Population (Year)
659,020
2017
548,003
2012
496,251
2010
422,590
2007
336,358
2004
233,859
2001
170,602
1997
148,760
1995
114,377
1992
Percentage of Foreign Prisoners (Year)
0.4
2014
0.7
2012
Prison Population Rate (per 100,000 of National Population)
319
2017
274
2012
253
2010
220
2007
183
2005
133
2001
102
1997
92
1995
74
1992

POPULATION DATA

Population (Year)
216,400,000
2023
212,600,000
2020
207,848,000
2015
International Migrants (Year)
1,079,708
2020
807,006
2019
713,600
2015
International Migrants as Percentage of Population (Year)
0.51
2020
0.3
2015
Refugees (Year)
67,522
2022
61,956
2021
59,092
2020
32,844
2019
11,327
2018
10,264
2017
9,634
2016
8,707
2015
7,490
2014
Ratio of Refugees Per 1000 Inhabitants (Year)
0.05
2016
0.04
2014
Asylum Applications (Year)
206,764
2022
82,467
2019
10,220
2016
8,950
2014
Stateless Persons (Year)
5
2022
0
2016
2
2015

SOCIO-ECONOMIC DATA & POLLS

Gross Domestic Product per Capita (in USD)
11,384
2014
Remittances to the Country
2,427,000
2015
Unemployment Rate
2014
Human Development Index Ranking (UNDP)
75 (High)
2015
Pew Global Attitudes Poll on Immigration
72
2007

MIGRATION-RELATED DETENTION

Does the Country Detain People for Migration, Asylum, or Citizenship Reasons?
Rarely
2023

GOVERNANCE SYSTEM

Legal Tradition(s)
Civil law
2017

LEGAL & REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

GROUNDS FOR MIGRATION-RELATED DETENTION

LENGTH OF MIGRATION-RELATED DETENTION

MIGRATION-RELATED DETENTION INSTITUTIONS

PROCEDURAL STANDARDS & SAFEGUARDS

DETENTION MONITORS

> National human rights monitoring bodies

> National Preventive Mechanisms (Optional Protocol to UN Convetion against Torture)

> Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)

> Governmental monitoring bodies

> International detention monitoring

TRANSPARENCY

READMISSION/RETURN/EXTRADITION AGREEMENTS

COVID-19

HEALTH CARE

COVID-19 DATA

INTERNATIONAL TREATIES

International Treaties Ratified
Ratification Year
Observation Date
OP CRC Communications Procedure
2017
2018
ICPED, International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
2010
2010
CRPD, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
2008
2008
OPCAT, Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
2007
2007
CTOCSP, Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
2004
2004
CTOCTP, Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children
2004
2004
CRSSP, Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons
1996
1996
ICCPR, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
1992
1992
ICESCR, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
1992
1992
CRC, Convention on the Rights of the Child
1990
1990
CAT, Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
1989
1989
CEDAW, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
1984
1984
PCRSR, Protocol to the Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
1972
1972
ICERD, International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
1968
1968
VCCR, Vienna Convention on Consular Relations
1967
1967
CRSR, Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
1960
1960
Ratio of relevant international treaties ratified
Ratio: 16/19
Individual Complaints Procedures
Acceptance Year
ICCPR, First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966 2009
2009
CRPD, Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2008
2008
CAT, declaration under article 22 of the Convention 2006
2006
CEDAW, Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, 1999 2002
2002
ICERD, declaration under article 14 of the Convention 2002
2002
Ratio of Complaints Procedures Accepted
Observation Date
5/8
5/8
Relevant Recommendations Issued by Treaty Bodies
Recommendation Year
Observation Date
Committee on the Rights of the Child § 78. "The Committee recommends that the State party adopt special procedures to register unaccompanied children and ensure that the refugee status determination procedures comply with international protection standards for unaccompanied children. In this regard, the Committee recommends that the State party provide unaccompanied children with legal representation and assistance through all stages of this process. The Committee also recommends that the State party expeditiously adopt the Statelessness Bill that it has pending at its legislature and establish a human rights–compliant overall framework for ensuring the rights of migrants, including irregular migrants." 2015
2015

NON-TREATY-BASED INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS MECHANISMS

Visits by Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council
Year of Visit
Observation Date
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance 1995
1995
2015
Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment 2000
2000
2015
Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography 2003
2003
2015
Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions 2003
2003
2015
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance 2005
2005
2015
Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions 2007
2007
2015
Working Group on arbitrary detention 2013
2013
2015
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery 2010
2010
2015
Relevant Recommendations from the UN Universal Periodic Review
Observation Date
No 2008
2017
No 2017
2017
No 2012

REGIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS MECHANISMS

Regional Legal Instruments
Year of Ratification (Treaty) / Transposed (Directive) / Adoption (Regulation)
Observation Date
ACHR, American Convention on Human Rights 1992
1992
IACPPT, Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture 1989
1989
APACHR, Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1996
1996
CBDP, Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belem do Para) 1995
1995
IACFDP, Inter-American convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons 2013
2013

DETENTION COSTS

OUTSOURCING

FOREIGN SOURCES OF FUNDING FOR DETENTION OPERATIONS