Mainstreaming Human Rights in Detention Centers

As the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration, IOM provides services and advice to government and migrants. Ensuring adequate protection of the human rights of all migrants – men, women, boys and girls – is a fundamental component of our migration management activities. As such, IOM pays special attention to those made vulnerable by a variety of circumstances and conditions.

In line with such objectives, IOM Portugal carries out the project “Mainstreaming human rights in Administrative Detention Centres” which aims to contribute to the mainstreaming and upholding of human rights of  migrants detained due to their migration status and to promote alternatives to detention, in line with international and regional human rights standards.

Through a longstanding collaboration with the Portuguese Immigration and Border Service (SEF), this project seeks to:

• Inform detained migrants on their rights, duties and guarantees and how to migrate regularly;
• Build the capacity and sensitize personnel working in detention facilities or within the context of forced removal;
• Support the improvement of conditions of detention facilities from a human rights perspective;
• Promote knowledge on alternatives to detention.

This project contributes to the Principle 1 of the IOM´s Migration Governance Framework (MiGOF) and its Objective 3. It also contributes to goal 10.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well Objectives 3 and 13 of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular migration.