Human Rights Award 2025

Depriving someone of their freedom is a serious infringement of fundamental rights and can inflict significant psychological harm on those who have already experienced violence or war. Nevertheless, hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are being detained in conditions that closely resemble prisons. In many countries, detaining newly arrived immigrants, asylum seekers awaiting a decision, or individuals facing deportation is standard practice – often without access to proper legal representation.

International treaties such as the European Convention on Human Rights, however, are clear on this issue: detention should only be used as a last resort. Indeed, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child categorically condemns the detention of children. In reality, however, the situation is quite different.

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is pleased to announce that this year’s Human Rights Award will be presented to International Detention Coalition in recognition of its outstanding work defending the rights of people affected by immigration detention and deportation worldwide. For many years, IDC has been a courageous and tireless advocate, successfully campaigning for the protection of those deprived of their freedom.

IDC advocates, both nationally and internationally, for changes to laws, working alongside governments, civil society, and international organisations to improve detention practices or end detention altogether.

Through its research, networking, and lobbying, IDC promotes more humane alternatives to detention. These include reporting requirements, supervised accommodation, and financial guarantees. Their goal is to enable people to live with dignity within the community while their right to remain is being decided on.

Evidence shows that alternatives to immigration detention have a positive impact – not only on the individuals concerned but also when it comes to social cohesion and community well-being.

Moreover, adopting alternatives to detention can save public resources, in other words the significant sums of taxpayer money currently being used to detain people at airports, on boats and in makeshift camps – often for indefinite periods.

Through its work, IDC makes it abundantly clear that immigration policy must be guided by both humanity and good governance – and that this is absolutely achievable in practice, to the benefit of all.

^{*quote by a person with lived detention experience during the first  "Global Youth Consultation on Ending Child Immigration Detention" , 2024}