Captured Childhood: Introducing a new model to ensure the rights and liberty of refugee, asylum seeker and irregular migrant children affected by immigration detention

The International Detention Coalition (IDC) has launched its policy document “Captured Childhood” in Geneva at the 19th Session of the Human Rights Council. Over the past two years, the IDC has heard first-hand the stories of children and parents from all over the world who have experienced immigration detention. This report includes individual interviews with 70 children (interviewed in Malta, Greece, Hungary, Turkey, the US, El Salvador, Mexico, Israel, Egypt, Malaysia and Australia) and shares the experiences of 16 parents of children who had been detained. Their experiences highlight the need for alternative approaches to managing the irregular migration of children. The report also introduces a new model to ensure the rights and liberty of refugee, asylum seeker and irregular migrant children affected by immigration detention.