Introduction
The Global NextGen Index has been developed to hold countries accountable for their commitment to work towards ending child immigration detention in the UN Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees. The Index uses annual scorecards to evaluate 22 countries on their progress to implement alternatives to immigration detention, with scores being determined by the Country Countries made up of non-government organisations working on the issue of immigration detention of children.
Throughout November 2017 – January 2018, Country Committees gathered data to answer the Scorecard Questionnaire utilizing existing publicly available research, as well as on-the-ground experience of civil society professionals in the area of child detention. This data creates a baseline and will be updated annually going forward.
The index will be launched 13 August 2018. A preliminary report analyzing trends and findings is available here.
This report analyses trends that have emerged from the 22 Scorecards. Ending child detention is a process, and it requires significant systematic reform with effective referral and integration in order to ensure that the rights of migrant children are being protected and fulfilled. Recognising this complexity, scores were divided into six categories, which together provide a comprehensive analysis of State commitment and implementation as they work towards ending child immigration detention.