The Mass Flight of Syrian Refugees: What are the Legal Obligations of States?
More than four million refugees have fled Syria since 2011. Most of them have sought refuge in neighbouring countries but many now live in poverty and destitution. Civil society organisations...
Zero-Tolerance for Severe Forms of Labour Exploitation in the UK
In June 2015, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published the results of research conducted in 21 European Member States that considers the nature of, and responses to, severe...
The Seafood Industry and Its Sustainability Challenge – Why the Government of Thailand and Global Retailers Will Work Towards Sustainability and Human Rights
A recent investigation from the Guardian has revealed how Rohingya migrants fleeing Burma to reach Malaysia are being held hostage for ransom by traffickers or sold to Thai fishing boats...
The Death Penalty for Foreign Nationals and Migrant Workers
On 16th and 17th June, 2015, a group of experts met in Geneva to address the issue of foreign nationals, including migrant workers, facing the death penalty abroad. The meeting...
An Unwelcoming Place – The Mistreatment of African Immigrants by the South African State
In recent months, several South African neighbourhoods have erupted in a spate of xenophobic violence. This is not the first time that sections of South African society have violently turned...
The Legality of the Detained Appeal Process: Detention Action v First-Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) & Ors [2015]
The case concerns a challenge, brought by Detention Action in the High Court of England and Wales (and the latest in a series of challenges), to the legality of the...
Legal Obstacles to an 'Australian solution' for Migrants in the Mediterranean
Unconvincing EU commitment over the past month and increased number of migrants sparked a far–right round of calls in Europe for drastic action to tackle the massive influx of migrants...
Saving Lives in the Mediterranean: One More Missed Opportunity
“The European Union cannot accept that thousands of people die at its borders”. These were the words of the President of the European Commission in Lampedusa, in October 2013. On...
Drowning refugees, migrants, and shame at sea: The EU response: Part II
In our previous post we highlighted how the Statement of the European Council in response to the crisis situation after the death of more than 750 people in the Mediterranean...
Drowning Refugees, Migrants, and Shame at Sea: The EU’s Response: Part I
At the special meeting of the European Council, on 23 April 2015, EU leaders agreed four priority areas of actions the Member States and the EU institutions can take together...
Europe and the Mediterranean
Thirty years ago we knew that there was a demographic and economic crisis on the horizon. We knew, because the International Labour Organization and the UN Fund for Population Activities...
¿Hacia la abolición de la detención de niños por motivos migratorios?
En su reciente Opinión Consultiva 21/14, la Corte IDH adopta una postura firme contra la detención de los niños por motivos migratorios, empleando un novedoso enfoque respecto a la privación...