Detention

Not many people know that foreigners are imprisoned, because the government wants to deport them. People can be detained if they arrive in the Netherlands by plane and apply for asylum; and if they are found without residency permits in the country. Asylum seekers are detained in the Justicieel Complex Schiphol; irregularly residing individuals are detained in the Detention Centre Rotterdam; families and unaccompanied children are detained in the Detention Centre Zeist.

People in migrant detention have no access to their personal phones; they have limited air time per day, spending most of the time locked up in a shared room; they receive pre-confectioned, insufficient food; they have no possibility of working; they cannot follow an education program; they can be put in isolation as a punishment for not following the roles; they can be detained for up to 18 months.

With this project we cooperate with the Meldpunt Vreemdelingendetentie, a hotline for people in detention. Our objective is to raise awareness with the Dutch population, with NGOs, lawyers, policymakers and students about migrant detention. We do that by working with a focus group of people who have been in detention and who are motivated to speak out. Together, we make podcasts, videos and actions about detention.

We want to support people in detention and bring out their stories. People have to know that individuals are locked up, even if they did not commit any crime. We want detention abolished.
If you have been in detention and want to be part of this project, contact us.

To contact the Meldpunt Vreemdelingendetentie call us at +31 70 221 1767 or write an e-mail to info@meldpuntvreemdelingendetentie.nl
(free number for people in detention: 08003388776)