„Even unaccompanied children are frequently placed in prison cells or centers ringed with barbed-wire. Detention is never in the best interests of the child – which must take primacy over immigration objectives,“ Zeid added, noting, „Alternatives to the detention of children must be developed.“

He also warned that many countries across the continent were showing „a strong trend that overturns international commitments, refuses basic humanity, and slams doors in the face of human beings in need.“