How to improve migrant health at immigration detention centres in Sweden is the focus of a new policy brief which looks at current conditions in detention centres in the country. The brief was produced by the Migration Studies Delegation (Delmi), in partnership with the WHO Collaborating Centre on Migration and Health Data and Evidence at Uppsala University in Sweden.
The brief is guided by a previous WHO/Europe country implementation guide on immigration detention, which found that immigration detention can have a severe impact on migrants’ health, especially on their mental health, during and after release from detention.
The review process that shaped the policy brief focused on identifying how detention affects detainees’ health, what measures can be taken to adapt detention to minimize negative health effects and what alternatives to detention are available.
Alternative measures needed
Over the last few years, immigration detention has increasingly been used as a tool to manage migration flows in the WHO European Region. To protect the health of refugees and migrants, alternatives should always be prioritized over detention measures, which can be experienced as imprisonment. WHO/Europe, in partnership with its collaborating centre in Sweden, has been working to address the health impacts of immigration detention through several trainings and workshops, bringing the representatives of 53 Member States together since 2022.
“Immigration detention is harmful to health. Its effects can be mitigated through appropriate staff training, safeguarding measures, psychological support, and the provision of tools to maintain health and prevent the spread of communicable diseases,” says Kristina Mauer-Stender, Acting Director Country Support and Partnerships at WHO/Europe.
The policy brief notes that migrants in Swedish detention centres have access to phones, internet, legal counsel, interpreters and visitation rights. Sweden’s policies also safeguard the rights of children in detention. Although rare, children – both with guardians and unaccompanied – can be held in detention, with strict regulations limiting their stay, currently to a maximum of 72 hours, extendable by an additional 72 hours under exceptional circumstances. Importantly, children are not separated from their guardians if they are present in the country, offering a layer of protection to vulnerable families.
The Swedish Migration Agency provides staff training on human rights, effective communication and mental health support. These measures aim to maintain detainees’ dignity, ensure clear communication and create a safer, more supportive environment for both migrants and staff.
Challenges faced
According to the policy brief, some areas need improvement, particularly in expanding alternatives to detention and ensuring that return centres, when used, are close to major cities. Delmi suggests greater focus on psychosocial support and health care, as well as addressing overcrowding in detention centres, which impacts detainees’ and staff’s health.
The WHO report shows that detention in many cases has a negative impact on the health status of detainees. In addition to a general deterioration in health and an increased need for care, the report highlights mental health as a major problem, which often seems to be linked to being deprived of liberty. Individuals held in detention centres often live under great stress in the face of pending deportation or expulsion. This, along with the presence of drugs in some cases, presents both detainees and staff with difficult situations that, according to Delmi, should be addressed.
Launching the brief
On 11 March, the WHO Collaborating Centre on Migration and Health Data and Evidence brought together migration and health stakeholders in Stockholm to launch the policy brief and discuss the health impacts of immigration detention and how Swedish policies impact the health of migrants in Sweden and globally. The event was co-hosted with Delmi and the Expert Group for Aid Studies (EBA).
“Delmi is glad to have had the opportunity to develop this policy brief in collaboration with the WHO Collaborating Centre and co-organize this event with them and the EBA. This has given us a broad overview and opportunity to discuss issues related to migrants’ health that cut across several research disciplines and sectors,” says Agneta Carlberger Kundoori, Head of the Delmi Secretariat.
“We are proud that our collaborating centre has co-organized this event with EBA and Delmi, where questions that are extremely topical were discussed with various key stakeholders. This is in line with University’s ambition of not only having world class education and research, but also to facilitate evidence-informed policy and practice development,” emphasized Anders Hagfeldt, Vice-Chancellor, at Uppsala University.