This announcement is for anyone interested in attending either of the 2 detention workshops being held in conjunction with the Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights in KL next month.  Expressions of interest and comments in response to this announcement can be directed to Grant Mitchell of the International Detention Coaliton (contact details at end of announcement).

The International Detention Coalition and the Association for the Prevention of Torture IDC will be running a training Workshop on Detention Monitoring and Torture Prevention the day after the conference on the 22^nd of November from 9-12.30pm, details attached. We have limited places for this meeting, so please email your interest to attend, including name, title and organisation, to: sarahl@oxfam.org.au.  The session is aimed particularly at practitioner human rights and welfare groups active or interested in visiting places of detention. Please note, SUHAKAM, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, will also be invited to this session.

We are seeking input from individuals with active experience in detention monitoring or torture prevention for this session, so please feel free to email me if you would like to input into this session.

The International Detention Coalition will also be running a Detention Advocacy Workshop at the conference. (Note: The Refugee Health and Refugee Legal sessions will also be running at the same time.) 

We are keen to get input about how to best use the Detention Workshop session, so feel free to email me your thoughts.  In particular I am looking for a couple of people who would be interested to share their experiences for 5 -10 minutes on the innovative work they have been undertaking on detention issues in the region. Some examples we have come across are: work on detention policy; community education;  services to detainees; visiting and monitoring places of detention; how those services can form the basis of research and advocacy for change; lobbying initiatives; how groups are creating their own alternatives to detention; and work being done to prevent torture and refoulement.

The IDC has 30 members in the Asia Pacific region working on detention issues, and we have been hearing of the numerous detention concerns in the region, many of which have been raised by members in the recent IDC Global Detention Survey findings, attached.

The key regional issues raised, amongst others, included:

1) Conditions and rights of detainees

2) Monitoring of places of detention

3) Children in Detention

4) Refugees detained and refoulement occurring

5) Lack of services for detainees, including healthcare

6) Lack of legal aid for detainees

7) Need for alternatives to detention

8) Need to work more effectively individually and together in our region for detainees; and

9) Using the human rights mechanism and shared experiences.

Let me know if you have any additional thoughts or comments.

We hope the session will provide more detail of these concerns and inspiration and ideas for working together for change.

Cheers

Grant