UN calls on U.S. to protect undocumented children

On Thursday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, requested the U.S. to stop the mandatory arresting of undocumented children from Central America at the border, to offer them decent living conditions and to investigate allegations of abuse.

According to figures from the U.S. Border Patrol during the first 10 months of fiscal year 2014, over 57,000 children crossed the border alone. “The immigrant rights should prevail. And if they are underage, even more. The mandatory detention should not apply because it goes against the interests of the child,” Pillay said at a press conference.

“These minors are being placed into centers that, in many cases, do not meet the prerequisites. The centers are saturated, there is insufficient hygiene. U.S. should ensure their protection,” added the UN representative.

Moreover, she mentioned complaints made by NGOs under which up to a hundred children have suffered sexual abuse, in some cases, at the hands of officials. “Washington should immediately investigate these allegations,” she said.