In a submission to the UPR, the GDP and Hungarian Helsinki Committee draw attention to this issue, along with other concerns related to migration detention and border enforcement measures. A reluctant […]. The evacuation of U. Skip to content. Trapped at the Crossroad between Europe and Asia With one of the largest migration detention systems, Turkey has long served as Europe's reluctant refugee gatekeeper Full Country Profile.
Not Available Immigration detainees Not Available Detained children Afghanistan Situation Report The evacuation of foreign militaries from Afghanistan is spurring a new refugee exodus.
Not Available Detained asylum seekers Some governments detain a person in these situations while their identity is verified or while the nature of their claims to enter or remain in the country are established. Some authorities continue to detain a person for the entire time it takes to process their migration application. Finally, detention is sometimes used by migration authorities if all claims to remain the country have been refused and the person is being deported.
Under international law, immigration detention is only meant to be used as a last resort and where it is necessary , reasonable , and proportionate to a legitimate government objective. And in all cases, immigration detention is only to be used after non-custodial, community-based alternatives to detention ATD have been explored in each individual case. Unfortunately, the use of unnecessary immigration detention is growing and endemic to the management of complex mixed migration.
Globally, millions of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants are at risk of immigration detention each year. Refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants are often subjected to arbitrary or unlawful detention and may be detained for months or years in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions falling below international standards. Immigration detention is often characterised by little or no independent oversight, and in many countries, immigration detention is among the most opaque areas of public administration.
Many human rights violations occur in these circumstances and the physical and psychological impacts of even very limited immigration detention are well documented. Women and children are especially vulnerable to violence and abuse in places of immigration detention, and studies have shown that even short periods of immigration detention can have life-long physical and mental health impacts.
Thousands of people are held in administrative detention centres and closed camps around the world with:.
In compliance with international and regional human rights standards, detention should only occur in circumstances where alternatives have been assessed as not sufficient, only as a last resort and for the shortest possible period. Most governments detain refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in some or more of the following situations:.
Several governments around the world host large refugee populations and often place significant limits on movement of the resident refugees. For example, often refugees must obtain a permit to leave a camp; they can only travel a certain distance and for a certain time outside of the camp; and, if they fail to comply with the terms of the permit, they risk arrest and imprisonment, sometimes for years.
They may be required to live in these camps without the right to move for years. In fact, some children and grandchildren are born in these camps without ever having the right to leave them. It is almost impossible to say, as most governments do not provide easily accessible, public information on the number of migration-related detainees. The conditions in most closed refugee camps are of serious concern.
Being held in a closed refugee camp means that the refugees living there are unable to be self-sufficient. They are totally dependent on supplies provided by the international community, which are frequently subject to shortages and cuts.
A quote from a Burundian refugee couple in Tanzania sums up the situation:. Could you do that for 12 years? Things are becoming unbearable. The camp is insecure. Children die from malaria. And the rations go up and down, but we are the last to know. Tanzanian law and policy prohibits refugees in these camps from working, undertaking any business activities or being more than 4 km away from the camps. It is essentially impossible for a refugee to abide by these laws. Not provided with enough food or with firewood to cook their rations, they must risk arrest, police abuse, assault and even rape as punishment for simply leaving the camps to earn money to buy food, or to collect firewood.
The length of time varies among countries, with one of the shortest periods in France 32 days to unlimited periods of time under certain circumstances in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Zambia.
There are many cases worldwide where persons have been administratively detained for years. For example, in Australia, a Kashmiri national whose asylum claim was rejected was held in administrative detention for seven years. He was considered to be stateless because no country would accept him as their national. Indefinite detention of asylum seekers is permitted in the United States and it is not unusual for them to be detained for two or more years pending a final decision in their cases.
Detention in prison. Around 24, people are held under Immigration Act powers every year, for a range of reasons. In , 24, people entered detention. Some are asylum seekers who have had their claim refused.
Others are asylum seekers who have a claim in process, and are being held while that decision is made under what is known as the Detained Fast Track. Some will have overstayed or breached the terms of their visas, or will be foreign nationals who have completed a prison sentence and are to be deported. Some will be newly arrived in the UK, others will have lived lawfully here for many years. These categories are fluid and can overlap, for example a non-British national may claim asylum from prison.
Whatever the circumstances, being held in prison-like conditions without a time limit causes anxiety and distress. Many people in detention already have traumatic backgrounds, and the psychological impact of being held is absolutely damaging.
The UK is one of the largest users of detention in Europe. Harmondsworth, near Heathrow, is the largest detention centre in Europe, holding up to people at any one time. Residential STHFs can hold people for up to seven days.
There are also many detainees held in non-residential STHFs for up to 24 hours — at various ports and airports- and several hundred detainees in prisons.
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