The Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic in cooperation with the Council of Europe has published a report on the Prague International Conference "Immigration Detention of Children: Coming to a Close?". The two-day international expert conference on 25-26 September 2017, sought to explore the obligations of States in the field, as well as the most effective ways in which to respect the right to liberty of children on the move. Due to the extreme vulnerability of children and the harmful effects of detention, international institutions and other relevant actors have consistently emphasized the need to end this practice and implement alternatives.

“The Prague report is an important contribution to the process of identifying realistic alternatives to the immigration detention of children; it provides practical and concrete insight to governments on how to move forward”, the Special Representative said.

The report reflects and groups into sections the main ideas presented and discussions held throughout the Conference. It aims to serve as a source of information and guidance for further work in the field, including in the ongoing work of the Council of Europe Steering Committee for Human Rights on alternatives to detention in the context of migration.