On 19 and 20 July, the UN Committee against Torture (CAT) considered the third periodic report of Romania. In its concluding observations following its review, CAT noted several concerns regarding the treatment of migrants and asylum seekers in the country, including the immigration detention of vulnerable groups such as unaccompanied children and victims of torture; […]
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Republic of Korea: Indefinite Detention Without Due Process Guarantees Ruled Unconstitutional
In an important ruling, the Republic of Korea’s Constitutional Court has found that the country’s policy of indefinitely detaining migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers without due process guarantees is unconstitutional. […]

Mandatory Detention for all Irregular Arrivals, and Funding a Detention Centre in France? The Latest from the UK
Over the past week, the UK has proposed a number of controversial and extraordinary measures aimed at stopping irregular migration, including proposing new legislation that imposes mandatory detention for anyone crossing the Channel by boat as well as a joint initiative with France that includes helping pay for a new detention centre there. On 7 […]

Asylum Seeker’s Death Highlights Brutal Impact of Thailand’s Detention Policies
The recent death of a Uyghur asylum seeker detained in the Bangkok Immigration Detention Centre (Suan Phlu) has prompted renewed calls for Thailand to release a group of 49 ethnic Uyghurs who have now been detained in the country for nine years. Aziz Abdullah, 49, died on 11 February after he collapsed in a cell […]

#FreedomForAll: End Detention Now
On 29 November, the GDP’s Executive Director Michael Flynn joined a panel of international speakers at a People’s Migration Challenge (PMC) webinar exploring global efforts to end immigration detention. Examining the campaign to end the detention of children, Flynn considered some of the lessons that have been learned from this advocacy effort – and how this can help us work towards an end to immigration detention. […]

Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty: States Must End Immigration Detention of Children and Families
On 20 November, the UN Independent Expert on Children Deprived of Liberty, Manfred Nowak, released the Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty. This study is the result of years of work by Nowak, with assistance provided by numerous external advisers and experts, including GDP staff members, evaluating all forms of deprivation of liberty of […]

12th European Forum on the Rights of the Child
12th European Forum on the Rights of the Child: “Where We Are And Where We Want To Go” European Commission, Brussels 2-3 April 2019 GDP Executive Director Michael Flynn participated in the Annual EU Forum on the Rights of the Child held in Brussels on 2-3 April. The forum gathers key actors from EU Member […]

Children at the Heart of Human Rights
While there is a growing international consensus that the best interests of the child must be respected by ending the practice of child detention, many countries around the world continue to place children in detention facilities. This week, the GDP’s Senior Researcher, Mariette Grange, spoke on the theme of children in detention at the Geneva Summer School […]

UN Child Rights Experts Call for EU-Wide Ban on Child Immigration Detention
Ahead of a key meeting of EU institutions and member states on issues relating to immigration and asylum, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child issued an urgent plea for EU countries to bring an end to the migration-related detention of children. “EU law should not allow for child immigration detention, even as a last […]