The Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children

At a glance


[25/07/2019] Brussels (Belgium), Presentation of the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children by Pierre-Alain Fridez, General Rapporteur

On 25 July, the General Rapporteur on the Campaign, Pierre-Alain Fridez presented the Parliamentary Campaign to the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament.

[26/06/2019] Strasbourg (France), Final conference of the Parliamentary Campaign to end detention of migrant children

The Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children hosted its final conference in the Council of Europe, on 26 June 2019.

This event summed the work done by the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons and the Council of Europe Children's Rights Division in the framework of the Campaign since its launch by PACE in April 2015. It held an exchange of views on the related topic of ending violence against migrant children.

Opening addresses were made by Doris Fiala (Switzerland, ALDE), Chairperson of the PACE Committee on Migration, Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC), General Rapporteur on the Parliamentary Campaign, Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, Member of the European Parliament, Coordinator on Children's Rights and Stella Kyriakides (Cyprus, EPP/CD), Member of the PACE Committee on Migration and Chairperson of the PACE Sub-Committee on Children. News on the final conference in the Newsletter on the Council of Europe on migration and refugees

[14/06/2019] Nicosia (Cyprus), parliamentary visit to Cyprus and the private children's shelter "Home for Hope"

On 14 June 2019, a parliamentary delegation visited Cyprus and particularly the shelter for unaccompanied minors "Home for Hope", organised in the framework of the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children. The delegation exchanged views with the Minister of Interior, Minister of Justice and Public Order and a high-level official of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance on the current situation of asylum seeking and migrant children, notably unaccompanied minors, after what it visited the shelter "Home for Hope" of the Hope for Children - CRC Policy Centre, which represents one of the best practices in terms of accommodation and care for unaccompanied minors.

[06/05/2019] Vienna (Austria), parliamentary visit to migration centres Traiskirchen and Zinnergasse

On 6 May 2019, a parliamentary delegation visited two migration centres – Traiskirchen and Zinnergasse in Austria. The visit was organised by the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons in the framework of the Assembly's Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children. The delegation was led by Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC), General Rapporteur on the Campaign. The participants exchanged views with members of the Austrian Parliament and officials from the Federal Ministry of the Interior on the current situation of asylum seeking and migrant children and particularly unaccompanied minors.
 

[11/04/2019] Strasbourg (France), exchange of views on alternatives to immigration detention, 2nd part of the 2019 Session of the Assembly

 Presentation by Katarzyna Slubik, Association for Legal Intervention, Poland

[29/03/2019] Reykjavik (Iceland), national parliamentary seminar on age assessment in Iceland

On 29 March 2019, the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children organised in co-operation with the Chairperson of the Icelandic delegation to PACE, Ms Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, a parliamentary seminar "Age assessment of unaccompanied migrant children in Europe – Icelandic case", that took place in Reykjavik.

 Draft programme

[23/01/2019] Strasbourg (France), Conference on alternatives to immigration detention of children in France
(working language will be French)

in the framework of the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children and "Wednesdays at the Council of Europe":

Wednesday 23 January from 6.30 to 8 p.m.
Salle des Mariages de l'Hôtel de Ville de Strasbourg, 9 rue Brûlée
Open to the public limited to available space and upon registration with [email protected]

In the presence of Ms Marie-Christine Verdier-Jouclas, Deputy of the National Assembly of France, Mr Pierre-Alain Fridez, Swiss national councillor – General Rapporteur on the Campaign, Ms Nawel Rafik-Elmrini, Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg, Ms Nathalie Lequeux, legal expert, rights defender, France, and Mr Mathias Venet, Responsible for detention missions, Order of Malta

[12/11/2018] Budapest (Hungary), parliamentary visit to Budapest and the Röszke transit zone

On 12 November 2018, a parliamentary delegation visited Budapest and the Röszke transit zone in Hungary. The visit was organised by the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons in the framework of the Assembly's Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children. The delegation was led by Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC), General Rapporteur on the Campaign. The participants exchanged views with the members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Defence Committee of the National Assembly of Hungary as well as with the officials in the Immigration and Asylum Office on the current situation of asylum seekers and migrants and particularly unaccompanied minors. After the meetings, the delegation visited the Röszke transit zone where it was also briefed by the UNHCR team present there.

[30/08/2018] (Switzerland), The General Rapporteur on the PACE Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children tells Swiss radio: "They're in a dramatic situation"

"There are many unaccompanied children in Europe in dramatic situations," said Pierre-Alain Fridez, PACE General Rapporteur on Ending Immigration Detention of Children, in an interview on Swiss radio. "Some of them are in camps, prisons, which is a source of psychological trauma and developmental disorders. It is very important for Europeans to create the conditions for their adaptation and integration. This takes place in reception centers and shelters where they are given access to education and to languages and where they are allowed to behave like children." The parliamentarian was speaking after a visit to the SOS Children's Villages in Greece, seen as a positive alternative to detention.

[23/07/2018] Athens (Greece), Parliamentary visit to SOS Children's Villages Greece

Link to news and statement by the General Rapporteur on the Campaign

Phase III of the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children

Thanks to the Government of Switzerland's new voluntary contribution of 258 104€, the third phase of the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children has been launched. Since 2016, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Council of Europe Children's Rights Division have been working closely to implement the Campaign, which has so far focused on awareness raising, promoting alternatives to immigration detention and training for Parliamentarians and Ombudspersons for children. Practical outputs include a guide on monitoring places where children are deprived of their liberty for immigration purposes, which is available in English, French and Arabic. The third phase of the Campaign will further focus on promoting positive and protective alternative practices to detention and access to rights for children in migration, in particular during age assessment procedures, in synergy with the Ad hoc Committee for the Rights of the Child (CAHENF), which oversees the implementation of the Strategy for the Rights of the Child 2016-2021.

[25/06/2018] Strasbourg (France), Pierre-Alain Fridez appointed General Rapporteur of the Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children

On 25 June 2018, Mr Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC) was appointed General rapporteur on the Campaign by the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

[23/01/2018] Strasbourg (France), Doris Fiala elected Chairperson

Ms Doris Fiala (Switzerland, ALDE), General Rapporteur for the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children since March 2015, was today elected Chairperson of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) at its 2018 Winter Session.

[23/01/2018] Strasbourg (France), Round Table "Implementation of alternatives to immigration detention of children", 1st part of the 2018 Session of the Parliamentary Assembly

[20/11/2017] Strasbourg (France), Training Seminar: Monitoring places where children are deprived of their liberty as a result of immigration procedures

In the framework of the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of children, a training seminar for members of parliaments and Children's ombudspersons took place on 20 November 2017, in Strasbourg. The training was organised by the PACE Committee of Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons and the Council of Europe Children's Rights Division, in partnership with the Defence for Children- organisation Belgium. The seminar's objective was to help members of national parliaments and children's ombudspersons carry out visits and interview children detained during migration procedures.

A pilot session was held in April 2017.

[11/10/2017] Strasbourg (France), Presentation of a Study of immigration detention practices and a parliamentarian monitoring guide

During the meeting of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced persons, held on 11 October, two publications prepared in the framework of the Campaign were presented: a study of immigration detention practices and a Parliamentary Monitoring Guide on visiting places where children are deprived of their liberty as a result of migration procedures.

[25-26/08/2017] Prague (Czech Republic), The General Rapporteur participated in the International conference "Immigration Detention of Children: Coming To A Close?"

On 25-26 September, Ms Doris Fiala, the General Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Campaign participated in the International conference "Immigration Detention of Children: Coming To A Close?". During the conference, she presented the recent achievements of the Campaign. She reminded that, in its Resolution 2020 on Alternatives to immigration detention of children, PACE called on the member States to adopt alternatives that allow children to remain with their family members or guardians in non-custodial, community-based contexts while their immigration status is being resolved.

 

[10/08/2017] Strasbourg (France), Committee of Ministers News: International conference "Immigration Detention of Children: Coming To A Close?"

[26/06/2017] Strasbourg (France), Round Table "European alternative solutions to immigration detention of children", 3rd part of the 2017 Session of the Parliamentary Assembly

[24/04/2017] Strasbourg (France), Round Table "The Role of non-governmental organisations as promoters of positive practices in care and accommodation for refugee and migrant minors", 2nd part of the 2017 Session of the Parliamentary Assembly

[11-12/04/2017] Monitoring places where children are deprived of their liberty as a result of immigration procedures

In the framework of the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children, a training seminar for members of parliaments and Children's Ombudspersons took place on 11-12 April 2017, in Strasbourg. It was organised by the Council of Europe Children's Rights Division and the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, in partnership with the Defence for Children - Belgium.

The objectives of the seminar "Monitoring places where children are deprived of their liberty as a result of immigration procedures" were: to provide the participants with relevant information regarding standards and practical tools on monitoring detention places, allow their exchanges and promote their collaboration and identify further elements to be included in the final version of a practical guide for parliamentarians on monitoring places where children are deprived of their liberty as a result of immigration procedures.

[24/03/2017] Parliamentarian visit to the residential home and centre "Bäregg"

On 24 March 2017, a parliamentarian visit was conducted to the residential home for unaccompanied minors and the centre "Bäregg" (Bern, Switzerland). The visit was led by the General Rapporteur, Doris Fiala (Switzerland, ALDE), in the framework of the Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children.  The participants had an insight into the daily routine, dormitory and school of the young migrants and exchanged with the representatives of the Migration authorities of the Canton of Bern and the Bäregg centre. The centre is responsible for the placement and care of all unaccompanied minors who have applied for asylum in Switzerland and who are assigned to the Canton of Bern.

[14/12/2016] ‘This is not what childhood should be', said Doris Fiala

On the occasion of International Migrants' Day, marked every year on 18 December, Doris Fiala (Switzerland, ALDE), General Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children declared that the past year was a "very difficult year because of the great human suffering of migrants who left their homes in quest of a safe place. Many of the people who have escaped these horrific situations, conflict and chaos are children.

This year alone, more than 300 000 children entered the European continent, too many of them alone, without their parents or anyone to take care of them. In their search for security, the road has exposed them to tremendous dangers. Trafficking, physical violence including gender-based and sexual violence, and abuse are just some of the risks that migrant children face. Their misfortunes might not even end once they reach our continent.

In too many cases, these children are put in detention, because of administrative procedures, because they don't have the appropriate documents or because they have crossed the border illegally. Thus they fall victim to further suffering – poor hygiene, bad nutrition, closed, small, overcrowded cells with people they have never met and who may mean further danger for them. These children face more violence, more risks and lifelong traumatism. This is not what childhood should be.

All of our member States have a moral obligation to protect children. Our governments need to have a human-rights based, child-sensitive approach to dealing with migrant minors. They can and should adopt alternatives to shutting them away behind locked doors. Instead of detention children must be accommodated in a community, where their best interests, health and family unity are respected. Now even more than ever we must put all our efforts into stopping the terrible practice of imprisoning migrant children, who have committed no crime and who must not suffer because of their own or their parents' immigration status.

[14/12/2016] The Government of Switzerland for the second year supports the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children

The Government of Switzerland has made a voluntary contribution of €225 513 to the support the second phase of the "Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children". After the successful implementation of the campaign's first phase, which was also supported by the Swiss Government, the scope of the second phase will be broadened to include activities with the intergovernmental sector, in particular the Council of Europe's Children Rights Division, to support the work of the Ad hoc Committee for the Rights of the Child (CAHENF), which oversees the implementation of the Strategy for the Rights of the Child 2016-2021. The aim of the Parliamentary Campaign is to strengthen the role of national parliaments in protecting and promoting the human rights of migrant children in line with international and Council of Europe standards and to promote positive, protective alternative practices to immigration detention.

[18/11/2016] 18 November - European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse

Statement of the General Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children, Ms Doris Fiala

"The 18th of November is a very important day as we mark the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse.

We know that migrant children are faced with serious risks on their way to a safe place. While travelling great distances from their homes, in search of a secure environment, they may become victims of some of the worst forms of violence like sexual violence, sexual exploitation, trafficking. Ultimately, many of them face detention, where they are placed in overcrowded facilities, small cells, often with single men who are complete strangers to them.

In the past year, there have been extremely worrying reports on cases of incidents of sexual abuse in some of the centres where migrants were. We need to be constantly reminded of the particular vulnerability of the child, who is sometimes not even able to report abuse.

It is therefore extremely important to ensure a secure environment for children. Member States need to undertake effective measures to provide them special protection, ensure that they are put in a safe, secure and appropriate accommodation, with their families or legal guardians and not detained behind bars. Protecting migrant and asylum-seeking minors is our obligation. The Council of Europe has the necessary instruments which provide guidelines for children's protection. One of these instruments is the Lanzarote Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, signed by all member States of the Council of Europe and ratified by 41.

I therefore call upon those member States, who have not yet ratified this Convention, to do so and all states to fully implement it and take all the necessary steps to protect children, prevent sexual violence, protect child victims and prosecute perpetrators."

[12/10/2016] Strasbourg (France), Round Table "Age assessment of unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children in Europe", 4th part of the 2016 Session of the Assembly

[16/09/2016] Speaker of the Serbian parliament supporting the Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children

The President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and the Chairperson of the National Assembly's Committee on the Rights of the Child, Ms Maja Gojkovic has supported the PACE Campaign by signing the global petition to End Immigration Detention of Children.

[16/06/2016] Bern (Switzerland), Seminar held under the framework of the Campaign in the Swiss parliament

A seminar on "Promoting alternatives to the immigration detention of children in Switzerland" took place on 16 June in in the Swiss parliament, in Bern, moderated by Doris Fiala (Switzerland, ALDE), the General Rapporteur of the Campaign. During the seminar, Foundation Terre des Hommes presented a status report on Illegal Detention of Migrant Children in Switzerland, which was reported in two major articles in the Swiss media (links to articles).

[26/05/2016] "Unacceptable that unaccompanied children are detained" says the Secretary General of the Council of Europe

During his official visit to Greece, the Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland has said that it is it is "unacceptable" that any refugee and migrant children who arrive on the continent unaccompanied by their parents are held in detention centers, and called on European countries to ensure such children can be housed in special facilities and quickly reunited with their families.

[19/05/2016] Ms Tineke Strik announces the upcoming seminar under the Campaign

Under the framework of the Campaign, the seminar on "Alternatives to the immigration detention of children from a legal, practical and implementation perspective" will be held on 19 May. The event will take place in the Parliament in the Hague and is organised with the kind help of Ms Tineke Strik (Netherlands, Socialist Group).

[04/03/2016] Laws must change to end migrant child detention, Doris Fiala tells French radio

The General Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Campaign Doris Fiala was interviewed for the programme "En direct de l'Europe" on French radio following January's round table on "The negative effects of immigration detention of children". She was subsequently quoted in an accompanying article on the necessity for laws to change in order to end child immigration detention.

[04/03/2016] 47 Council of Europe member States urged to take action in order to protect refugee children

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe has sent a letter to the Heads of Government of all 47 states of the Council of Europe urging them to make every effort to end the placement of children in immigration detention facilities, together with a document proposing a set of priority measures.

[27/01/2016] Strasbourg (France), Round Table "The negative effect of immigration detention on children"

[25/01/2016] Interview with Doris Fiala, the General rapporteur for the Campaign, on ending immigration detention of children

Interview with Ms Doris Fiala (Switzerland, ALDE) on the occasion of the hearing on ‘The negative effects of immigration detention of children' which took place on the margins of the Assembly's January 2016 plenary session in Strasbourg.

[01/01/2016] New-Year's greetings from Doris Fiala

[18/12/2015] Strasbourg (France), International Migrants' Day

Every day, all around the world, millions of children are at risk of being detained on the basis of their immigration status. These children have committed no crime. The only reason they are being detained is because they lack the necessary travel documents to safely enter a country. Many of these children are feeling violence in their countries of origin. In Europe, 700 children seek asylum every day, and that figure is growing.

On the occasion of 18 December, International Migrants Day, Doris Fiala, the General Rapporteur for the Council of Europe Parliamentary Campaign, calls all the Council of Europe member states to end immigration detention of children and use of alternatives to detention. No child should be in a detention centre she says.

[30/09/2015] Strasbourg (France), Round Table "Promoting alternatives to the immigration detention of children", 4th part of the 2015 Session of the Assembly

[24/06/2015] Strasbourg (France), Round Table "For a Europe without detained immigrant children", 3rd part of the 2015 Session of the Assembly

[20/04/2015] Inauguration of the Campaign

On 20 April 2015, PACE launched the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children.

It seeks to raise awareness of this issue in Europe and to encourage States to adopt alternatives to detention that fulfil the best interests of the child and allow children to remain with their family members and/or guardians in non-custodial, community-based contexts while their immigration status is being resolved.

Indeed, in recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases of children confined in detention facilities for migrants.

Therefore, on January 2015 the Council of Europe decided to join the Global Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children - launched during the 19th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in 2012.  

In March 2015, the Assembly's Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons appointed Doris Fiala (Switzerland, ALDE) as General Rapporteur for the Parliamentary Campaign to End immigration detention of children, in order to raise awareness on the issue and to attract the attention of parliamentarians of member States of the Council of Europe to take measures in their national parliaments in order to discuss and actively support the Campaign.