La Strada Documentation Center

From Deprivation to Liberty: Alternatives to detention in Belgium, Germany and United Kingdom

Document number
2858
Date
2011
Title
From Deprivation to Liberty: Alternatives to detention in Belgium, Germany and United Kingdom
Author/publisher
Jesuit Refugee Service Europe
Availability
View/save PDF version of this document
Document type(s)
Research/Study/Analysis,
Keywords
Irregular Migration, Feminization of migration, Economic migration, Labour migration, Free movement, Undocumented migrants; Undocumented labour; Migrant rights; Migration management; Comprehensive approach to migration; Migration policy; Restrictive migration measures, Violence, Human rights violation, Crime against humanity, War crime, Armed conflict, Post-conflict situation, Terrorism,
Summary
The report, From Deprivation to Liberty, analyses the alternatives to detention programmes in Belgium,Germany and the United Kingdom. In each of the projects, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants live freely in the community with few restrictions. The individuals and families who were interviewed expressed a strong desire to fully cooperate with the national authorities, based on their interest to resolve their cases as effectively as possible. Such community-based measures are significantly cheaper for the State than immigration detention and are clearly more conducive to the successful integration of migrants. The report did find that these measures should be accompanied by appropriate legal, social and other support, otherwise migrants may be forced into destitution.
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