SCEP signs joint statement on immigration detention

22 June 2017  

On the 22th of June, SCEP signed the joint statement 'A Fundamentally Different Approach is Needed', together with 52 other organisations, to express its concern about immigration detention of migrants in Europe.  

The joint statement was drafted by national, regional and international civil society organisations in advance of a consultation with key civil society stakeholders on 22-23 June at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. It will be presented to the European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CDCJ), which is codifying a detailed set of immigration detention rules, based on existing international and regional human rights standards.  

The statement underlines that a fundamentally different regime is needed for administrative immigration detention, with a broader set of fundamental human rights reinforced. The organisations state that administrative immigration detention is never acceptable for migrants in situations of particular vulnerability, such as children. Alternative measures to detention must be prioritized and safeguards regarding access to and monitoring of places of detention must be strengthened.  

According to SCEP, separated children must never be detained for reasons related to their immigration status or illegal entry. This includes, whether temporary or otherwise, detention at the border or in international zones, in detention centres, in police cells, in prisons or in any other special detention centres for young people.  

Click here for the joint statement

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