IOM and 48 organisations have issued a statement to the EU on ending child detention

http://eea.iom.int/images/Download/JointStatement_Child_Immigration_Detention_FINAL.PDF

The statement calls upon EU governments to take immediate steps towards ending child immigration detention, ensuring alternatives to detention are accessible and available. The signatories call on EU Member States to:

• Listen to the voices of affected children
• Translate the New York Declaration commitment - to work to end child immigration detention - into concrete goals, targets and indicators
• Adopt laws and policies that prohibit the immigration detention of children whether unaccompanied or accompanied and prioritise the best interests of the child over state migration management, with a view to fully respecting obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Provide protection, care and support for children in an appropriate, safe and nurturing environment
• Invest in, develop and implement human rights-based alternatives to detention that prioritise the best interests of the child, working together with civil society, UN partners and other stakeholders
• Provide crucially needed financial support to develop a more robust evidence base and research efforts related to child detention