IOM has joined 49 UN agencies and bodies, global, European and national organisations, and the Initiative for Child Rights in the Global Compacts in a statement calling upon EU governments to take immediate steps towards ending child immigration detention, and ensuring that alternatives to detention are accessible and available. IOM and partners also call on EU Member States to take six recommended urgent actions:

• 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

> Read the Full Statement Here