(March 9, 2022)

Mr. President,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of a group of countries. Since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations General Assembly over 30 years ago, the world has witnessed continuous progress in the protection of children’s rights. However, it is also faced with multiple challenges, including the violation of children’s rights at immigration detention centers.

Certain countries have held migrant children in immigration detention centers for a prolonged period of time where conditions are deplorable, and the rights of migrant children are seriously violated. This has caused widespread concerns. We are concerned in particular that some countries separate families by forcibly taking migrant children away from their parents. Many children ended up losing touch with their parents and families, which led to grave human tragedies. In some countries, immigration detention centers are run by private institutions, where widespread incidents of abuse and violence against children are perpetrated.

We call on the Human Rights Council, the OHCHR and the Special Procedures to continue to attend to violation of children’s rights at immigration detention centers. Countries concerned are urged to immediately stop human rights violations at immigration detention centers, halt family separation, prevent private institutions from operating immigration detention centers and hold perpetrators accountable.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Belarus, Bolivia, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, China, Comoros, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Laos, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Venezuela, Yemen