In migration news, top independent rights experts issued a call on Thursday to end the practice of detaining the children of migrants and asylum seekers entering the European Union (EU).

In their appeal to the bloc, experts, including Gehad Madi, Special Rapporteur on the rights of migrants, insisted that detention of children because of their parents’ migration status was “always a violation” of their rights.

The development comes as the European Union’s 27 Members prepare to implement a new pact on migration and asylum, pending its approval by the EU Council in Brussels. 

The measures, which are expected to come into effect in 2026, include the creation of national mechanisms to monitor respect for human rights during the screening of migrants and asylum seekers at country borders.

“Asylum seekers should not be penalised for exercising the right to seek asylum, and migration should not be criminalised,” the independent experts said in a statement.

Source: UN News

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1149301