In June, a report from the UN Development Program estimated that approximately 93,000 people had returned to Lesotho as a result of COVID-19. The implementation of strict measures in neighbouring South Africa, which impacted the livelihood of migrant workers, helped spur this influx. Since October, migrant workers holding a permit are allowed to travel outside […]
Covid-19
Cuba: Covid-19 and Detention
The Cuban government responded swiftly to the COVID-19 crisis, implementing several restrictions early on in the pandemic including a ban on tourist arrivals and a lockdown for vulnerable people. By August 2020, however, cases began to increase and by mid-October there were a total of 6,220 cases and 125 deaths related to the virus. The […]
Submission to the Universal Periodic Review: Paraguay
Paraguay has not traditionally been a country of concern with respect to the treatment of migrants, refugees, or asylum seekers. This is reflected in the fact that during the previous two UPR cycles. However, the COVID-19 pandemic requires a renewed scrutiny of this issue. […]
Submission to the Universal Periodic Review: Niger
Despite being a central focus for EU migration “management” strategies, limited detailed information regarding Niger’s detention of migrants and asylum seekers is available. In a submission to the Universal Periodic Review, the GDP highlights key recommendations that should be made. […]
Submission to the Universal Periodic Review: Singapore
Despite its reliance on foreign labour, Singapore continues to restrict migrant workers’ rights. During the COVID-19 crisis, residents of migrant worker dormitories have suffered disproportionately, with thousands locked up in substandard and unsanitary conditions. […]
Tanzania: Covid-19 and Detention
There are nearly 300,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Tanzania, 85 percent of whom live in refugee camps. Doctors Without Borders and other actors have warned about the potential spread of COVID-19 through these camps, especially in Nduta, where self-isolation and physical distancing is reportedly impossible. According to UNHCR, as of 30 September 2020, there […]
Tunisia: Covid-19 and Detention
Having largely avoided the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tunisia began experiencing a sharp increase in infections starting in August 2020. This coincided with increased maritime arrivals from Tunisia to Italy and renewed efforts by European leaders to partner with Tunisia in externalising migration controls in the Mediterranean and North Africa. On 10 August, […]
Norway: Covid-19 and Detention
The Norwegian Red Cross has reported that since March, it has been unable to access Norway’s sole long-term detention facility, the Trandum Detention Centre. Although the organisation has remained in close contact with the facility’s staff during the pandemic, it has been unable to physically enter the facility and its volunteers have only been able […]
Algeria: Covid-19 and Detention
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), between early September and early October Algerian authorities expelled more than 3,400 people from at least 20 countries, including 430 children and 240 women, all of whom were sent to Niger. The expulsions followed waves of arrests in no fewer than nine cities, during which children were reportedly separated […]
Congo (Democratic Republic): Covid-19 and Detention
As of 12 October 2020, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had detected 10,851 cases of COVID-19 and recorded 276 deaths due to the disease. In addition to outbreaks of cholera, the Ebola virus, and measles, the country now has to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) […]
