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2009 marked the 20th anniversary of the signing of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Non-citizen children, along with aboriginal children, continue to suffer the most serious breaches of Canada’s obligations towards children’s rights.

• Children in detention

Children should rarely, if ever, be held in immigration detention. According to Canadian law, children are to be detained only as a measure of last resort. Despite this, children are regularly detained in Canada, sometimes for many weeks, and not only in exceptional circumstances.

• Reuniting children with their family: delays and barriers

Children need to be with their parents – Canada is falling down on its obligation under the Convention on the Rights of the Child to ensure that children are reunited as quickly as possible with their parents. In some cases, children are separated from both parents and left in the care of elderly family members or neighbours. It is intolerable that two years should be the norm for processing at some visa posts such as Nairobi (many children wait much, much longer than two years).

These long waits have especially dramatic impacts on children abroad who remain at risk. The psychological, financial and social impacts have long-term negative consequences for success in school, work and life in Canada.

For more information

Blog, Children in detention, 16 November 2009

Report, Detention and Best interests of the child,November 2009

Report: Nairobi: Protection delayed, protection denied, October 2009