As part of its collaboration with the Global Detention Project-sponsored Global Immigration Detention Observatory initiative, the Vilnius-based Human Rights Monitoring Institute, issued an information request to Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service concerning key statistics and practices related to the arrest and detention of migrants and asylum seekers. Although the border guard promptly responded to the […]
Detention Data
Iraq Summarily Deporting Refugees
Numerous news outlets and human rights groups have in recent months reported on Iraq’s increasing detention and deportation of Syrian refugees, in a breach of its non-refoulement obligations. Deportees have included registered asylum seekers with UNHCR documents as well as people with valid Iraqi residence permits. Reports also suggest that there are growing public calls […]
Qatar: Persistent Concerns Regarding the Treatment of Migrant Workers Despite Reforms
Qatar has adopted important reforms to protect the rights of migrants workers, but weak implementation and ongoing violations reveal inherent problems in the country’s labour system. Recent reports by human rights groups point to persistent exploitation of workers as well as other human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention and deportation. Abuses and Exploitation of Migrant […]
United Arab Emirates: Harsh Prison Sentences for Bangladeshi Protesters Reflects Broader Threats to Migrant Workers in the Country
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently sentenced Bangladeshi migrant workers to long-term – and, in some cases, life – prison sentences for demonstrating against a crackdown on anti-government protesters in Bangladesh. The harsh sentences have renewed criticism of the country’s arbitrary and discriminatory treatment of migrant workers. Long-term Imprisonment and Deportations Several dozen Bangladeshi nationals […]
Persistent Concerns about Senegal’s Treatment of Migrants and Refugees
During a recent review of Senegal’s implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers, the Committee on Migrant Workers noted a series of persistent challenges that migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers face in the country. Reflecting several recommendations that the Global Detention Project (GDP) made in its submission to the Committee in […]
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Reports of Pushbacks, Detention of Children and Inadequate Conditions in Detention Facilities
Recent reports reveal the abusive treatment of migrants and asylum seekers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including violent pushbacks, arbitrary arrests, and the detention of children. Conditions in the country’s detention facilities have also been the subject of harsh criticism for their abysmal conditions and for failing to meet minimal standards. In a joint submission for […]
Ethiopia: Growing Concerns about Treatment of Refugee Children
Over the past year, numerous reports have surfaced about the detention and separation of children in Ethiopia who are fleeing conflicts in nearby countries, particularly Sudan and Eritrea. In a submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Global Detention Project summarises these concerns and makes a series of recommendations aimed […]
Panama Plans to Deport Irregular Migrants with Financial Support from the US
Panama’s government is planning to ramp up deportations of migrants who reach the country irregularly through the Darién Gap at the border between Colombia and Panama. The jungle trek is a highly dangerous route which sees hundreds of thousands of migrants, including children, crossing every year, while also making many vulnerable to violence, sexual abuse, […]
Tunisia: Detention and “Desert Dumping” of Sub-Saharan Refugees
With financial support from the European Union, Tunisia is systematically undertaking anti-migrant and racially motivated operations, including “desert dumps” and unlawful arbitrary expulsions of migrants and refugees to remote areas near Libya and Algeria, according to recent reports. Violence Against Migrants and Arrests of Human Rights Defenders The growing number of reports revealing abuses suffered […]
Ghana: Expelling People Fleeing Conflict in Burkina Faso
Despite calls from UNHCR and several rights groups to cease unlawful expulsions of people escaping the conflict in Burkina Faso, Ghana continues to detain and deport refugees fleeing that country’s spiralling conflict with jihadist groups. The Sahel Refugee Crisis and its Effects on Northern Ghana Since 2022, with the escalating jihadist conflict affecting the Sahel, […]
