only permissible response, and it is also the most effec­tive: community-based programmes for families have been shown to achieve high compliance rates while safe­guarding children’s development and family unity. There are no exceptions, no qualifications and no circumstanc­es under which detaining a child for immigration purpos­es can be justified or can be in their best interest. Adopt gender-responsive approaches in alternatives to detention . Women migrants, particularly survivors of gen­der-based violence and trafficking, face distinct vulnera­bilities that detention exacerbates. ATD programmes should incorporate gender-sensitive case management, access to specialised support services and safe accommo­dation. IDC has called for ATD to systematically integrate gender-responsive screening and placement, ensuring that women’s specific protection needs are identified ear­ly and addressed through tailored community-based sup­port. In the United Kingdom, immigration rules include provisions granting leave to remain for survivors of do­mestic violence whose immigration status was dependent on an abusive partner, offering a model for integrating gender responsiveness into immigration case resolution. This shows that including a gender-responsive approach is feasible and effective. An intersectional approach that accounts for gender, age, disability, sexual orientation and other factors can and should be embedded in all stages of the screening, assessment and placement process. The expansion of immigration detention across Europe is a political choice, not a political necessity. It is costly, harmful and ineffective. Rights-based, community-cen­tred ATD offer a credible, tested and humane path for­ward, one that achieves the outcomes governments claim to seek while upholding the rights and dignity of everyone in the migration process. The evidence is clear. The models exist. What is needed now is the political commitment to reduce and ultimately end reliance on immigration detention by building rights-based migra­tion systems. About the IDC International Detention Coalition(IDC) is the world’s leading movement to end immi­gration detention. In 2025, the organisation was awarded the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s Human Rights Award. IDC is focused on practical alternatives to fairer, cheaper and more effective solutions to approach migration governance. Through policy change, IDC has helped prevent human rights abuses and secured a brighter future for refugees, migrants and their families all over the world. Imprint Published by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V. Godesberger Allee 149 53175 Bonn Germany info@fes.de Issuing Department Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung| European Union& Global Dialogue| Brussels Office| Rue du Taciturne 38| 1000 Brussels| Belgium https://brussels.fes.de/ Responsibility for Content Tobias Beylat| Policy Officer| Migration& Integration tobias.beylat@fes.de Contact brussels@fes.de Design/Layout pertext| corporate publishing www.pertext.de The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES). Commercial use of media published by the FES is not permitted without the written con­sent of the FES. Publications by the FES may not be used for electioneering purposes. June 2026 © Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V. Further publications of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung can be found here: ↗ www.fes.de/publikationen FES EU Office Brussels Community-Based Alternatives to Immigration Detention 10