{"id":7069,"date":"2016-09-20T02:56:35","date_gmt":"2016-09-19T16:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/endchilddetention.org\/?p=7069"},"modified":"2016-09-20T04:20:50","modified_gmt":"2016-09-19T18:20:50","slug":"a-step-backwards-from-leaders-at-the-un-high-level-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/endchilddetention.org\/news\/a-step-backwards-from-leaders-at-the-un-high-level-summit\/","title":{"rendered":"A Step Backwards from Leaders at the UN High Level..."},"content":{"rendered":"
Today the\u00a0High Level Summit (HLS)<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0of the UN General Assembly to address large movements of refugees and migrants takes place in New York.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n All 193 United Nations (UN) Member States unanimously adopted a set of political commitments \u2013 called the \u201cNew York Declaration<\/strong><\/a>“.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Child detention was an issue that was fiercely debated resulting in a commitment from all States to work towards ending child immigration detention<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is another significant development that we, as advocates, can use. See it in writing for yourself at paragraph 33<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, the rest of the language in paragraph 33 of the New York Declaration<\/a> is extremely problematic, stating that detention for children can be used as a measure of last resort.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here\u2019s why that is a problem: States have consistently used the \u201clast resort\u201d language as a loophole that allows our governments to lock children up, spending their childhood behind bars.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The world\u2019s leading experts on the issue of child rights, have consistently stated that\u00a0child detention is always a violation of a child\u2019s rights<\/strong>. They should be treated first and foremost as children, with their best interests taken into account.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is a reason that these experts have been speaking out on this issue – children\u00a0continue to be psychologically damaged from detention<\/a>\u00a0all around the world. The \u201clast resort\u201d language enables governments to think it is an acceptable practice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n