The use of immigration detention remains prevalent in the Asia Pacific region. It is used in many countries in the region in arbitrary and discriminatory manners and without necessary safeguards, such as the legal limit on the period of detention and guarantee of the procedural right to challenge the decision of immigration detention. Migrant children and other migrants in vulnerable situations, such as pregnant women, older persons, persons with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals and stateless persons, continue to be held in immigration detention across the region. At the same time, promising practices in adopting certain measures such as alternatives to detention (ATDs) of migrants are emerging in the region, especially for children and there is some momentum in some countries in terms of reducing and taking steps towards ending child immigration detention. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the release of an unprecedented number of people from immigration detention in a number of Asia Pacific countries.

The new report “Immigration Detention and Alternatives to Detention in the Asia-Pacific Region” was published on the occasion of the first International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) in May 2022. It captures the use of immigration detention and ATDs in 19 countries across the five sub-regions in the Asia-Pacific region. It was authored by the International Detention Coalition (IDC) with the support of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as a publication of the Alternatives to Detention Thematic Workstream of the Regional UN Network on Migration for Asia and the Pacific and the Alternatives to Detention Working Group of the UN Network on Migration . The report is intended to serve as a useful resource for post-IMRF efforts in adopting and implementing ATDs in the region.

The event to launch the new report was held on Wednesday, 26 October 2022 at 15.00 – 17.00 hrs Bangkok time (UTC+7) in a hybrid modality – with onsite event and online live broadcast.

The applicable hours in different time zones are indicated below:

• Geneva, Belgrade (UTC+2): 10.00 – 12.00 hrs
• Colombo, New Delhi (UTC+5:30): 13.30 – 15.30 hrs
• Seoul, Tokyo (UTC+9): 17.00 – 19.00 hrs
• Auckland, Suva (UTC +12): 20.00 – 22.00 hrs