LATEST PUBLICATIONS
The Changing Face of Detention in Austria Since COVID: GDP Submission to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture
The GDP submitted information and recommendations to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) concerning Austria’s detention of migrants and refugees ahead of a CPT delegation visit to the country later this year. Amongst the concerns that we highlighted are the country’s ongoing use of police detention facilities (PAZ) and conditions within these centres; the functioning of asylum centres as de facto detention facilities after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic; and the lack of information from government agencies concerning the detention of children. Read the full report.
NEWS + ACTIVITIES
VACANCY: Advocacy and Communications Consultant (Geneva-Based)
The GDP is hiring! We are seeking an experienced Geneva-based advocacy and communications consultant to assist the GDP in meeting publishing and outreach targets. The ideal candidate will be an early- to mid-career professional with between 5-10 years’ experience working in the international human rights system, expertise in producing effective media products, and knowledge of migrant and refugee rights. Applications are being considered on a rolling basis, so we strongly encourage interested applicants to apply early. Read the full job spec, and find out how to apply, here.
Save the Date: Webinar on Detention and Returns
On Tuesday 15 June (15.00 – 16.30 CEST) the GDP will take part in a webinar exploring detention and returns that is part of a series of round-table events aimed at advancing advocacy on key migrants’ rights issues in the run up to the 2022 International Migration Review Forum. Co-organised by MFA, CCRM, GRFDT, Civil Society Action Committee, Alianza Americas, PICUM, and CMDP, the webinar is intended to be a 90-minute civil society conversation—a moderator will guide the discussion, giving the opportunity to participants to intervene and share their insights, especially on regional and sub-regional perspectives. More information about the webinar, and a link to reserve your place, is available here.
Updates from the GDP’s COVID-19 Platform: Japan’s Immigration Detention System Faces Renewed Scrutiny
Japan’s immigration policies have long been criticised by observers as unduly harsh and strict. However, the 6 March death of a 33-year-old Sri Lankan woman—Ratnayake Liyanage Wishma Sandamali—who died in Japan’s Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau Detention House following months of health complaints, has sparked a new wave of criticism and drawn international attention. According to her two sisters, Sandamali had been held in a “tiny” and depressing room, and at a press conference they expressed their anger at the lack of answers they had received from immigration officials regarding the circumstances surrounding her death. Read more here.
See also: Recent updates on Monaco, the United States, and the Solomon Islands.
Border Criminologies Panel on “Monitoring Detention and Borders”
On 24 May, the GDP’s Michael Flynn chaired a panel on monitoring detention and borders as part of Border Criminologies’ three-day conference, “Landscapes of Border Control and Immigration Detention in Europe.” The panel included presentations from members of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture, national NPMs (Greece, Italy, and Portugal), and HM Inspectorate of Prisons (UK). This panel, as well as several others, were recorded and will shortly be available to view on the Border Criminologies Youtube Channel here.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Global Detention Project Annual Report 2020
As we look back at 2020, the terrible impact of COVID-19 on the lives of migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and other vulnerable non-citizens dominates our view. While the pandemic spurred critical changes in our work, our Annual Report reveals how we nevertheless managed to make important advancements in our objectives. Read the full report.
Immigration Detention in the European Union: In the Shadow of the “Crisis”
Authored by the GDP’s Izabella Majcher, Michael Flynn, and Mariette Grange, Immigration Detention in the European Union: In the Shadow of the “Crisis” offers a unique comparative assessment of the evolution of immigration detention systems in European Union member states since the onset of the “refugee crisis. More information is available here.
GDP ON THE RECORD
- “4 Takeaways From Our Investigation Into ICE’s Mishandling of Covid-19,” I. Niu and E. Rhyne, New York Times, April 2021.
- “Japan Drops Plans to Fast-Track Refugee Deportations After Sri Lankan’s Death in Detention,” This Week in Asia, May 2021.
- “2 Refugees Severely Beaten by Security Officers in Turkish Repatriation Centre,” Stockholm Centre for Freedom, May 2021.
- “U.S. Detention of Child Migrants,” Council on Foreign Relations, May 2021.
- “The Housing of Asylum Seekers in Former Military Barracks Must End,” J. Griffiths, Failed Architecture, May 2021.
- “The South Korean Refugee Dilemma: They or One of Us,” S. Um, The Oracle, May 2021.
- “Practicing Law in Administrative Detention for Syrian Refugees in Turkey,” U. Sunata and S. Erduran, Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, 2021.
- “The Role of the ‘Cities for Change’ in Protecting the Rights of Irregular Migrants in Spain,” B. Fernández-Suárez and K. Espiñeira, Urban Planning, 2021.
- “Symbolic State Imagery, Informal State Practice,” C. Schenk, in Labour, Mobility and Informal Practices in Russia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, R. Turaeva and R. Urinboyev (eds.), Routledge, 2021.
- “Pregnant and Detained: Constitutional Rights and Remedies for Pregnant Detainees,” N. A. Barnaby, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 2021.
- “La excepción de la excepción. La gobernanza de la migración en tiempos de pandemia,” I. Irazuzta and I. Ibarra, Estudios Fronterizos, 2021.
- “Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Assess Unaccompanied Migrant Minors’ Needs (AEGIS-Q),” M. L. Di Pietro et al, European Journal of Public Health, 2021.
- ““J’aime Calais”: Mobilisations et luttes de pouvoir contre la présence de migrants à la frontière franco-britannique,” C. Guenebeaud, Champ Pénal/Penal Field, 2021.
