Author
Children and unaccompanied children asylum seekers cannot be detained in the Foreigners Centre according to Article 84(2) IPA. However, they can be detained in the Asylum Home. In practice, unaccompanied children have also been de facto detained in the reception area of the Asylum Home or its branch Logatec for periods reaching up to 20 days until the lodging of their asylum application.
Victims of torture and other vulnerable people can be detained in the Foreigners Centre, but according to the law special attention has to be paid to their health, including their mental health, and regular monitoring and appropriate assistance guaranteed taking into account their specific circumstances.[1]
Unaccompanied minors cannot be detained in the Foreigners Centre if they lodged the application for international protection. Other minors and unaccompanied children who are detained in the Foreigners Centre are considered as potential victims of trafficking. In 2021, 149 children and 241 unaccompanied children were detained in the Foreigners Centre. A woman with mental health problems was also detained. She was provided with psycho-social support, health checks and examinations. A transgender man was also detained with his friend. They were provided with what was described by the police as “non-discriminatory accommodation”, but it is unclear what this consisted of. [2]
[1] Article 84(9) IPA.
[2] Information provided by the Police, February 2022.