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Children need care, not prison bars!

Children need care, not prison bars!

To the European Commission, European Parliament, and Ministry of the Interior and Administration of Poland

Petition

We are calling on the European Commission, European Parliament, and Polish authorities to:

  1. Immediately revoke the provisions that allow detention of unaccompanied minors in closed immigration centers.

  2. Ensure that children seeking international protection are placed in care suited to their needs - family or appropriate care facilities - not detention.

  3. Bring Polish law into alignment with EU law and international standards that regard child detention as a measure which should be avoided entirely.

Why is this important?

A haunting image from the United States went viral - a boy wearing a school backpack and a bunny‑ears hat being locked up by immigration officers. [1]

But the same thing can now happen in Poland - almost unnoticed, without public debate, without warning.

A new law pushed quietly allows the Polish authorities to lock up children who ask for asylum. Teenagers who fled the war and violence can be sent to closed migration centers surrounded by fences and guards. These are not shelters. They are basically prisons. [2]

Before this law passed, these children were placed in foster families. Now, instead of safety and care, they face months or even years behind bars, simply for seeking protection. Detention trauma drives children to depression and suicide attempts. [3]

When cruelty is hidden, it can spread. When it’s exposed, it can be stopped. You can help shine a light on this secret. 

This is about defending children - they should be protected, not locked up in prison. 

Demand that the EU step in and stop Poland from breaking European law and violating children’s rights!

References:

  1. https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/23/us/liam-conejo-ramos-ice-wwk 
  2. [https://supportkind.org/press-releases/amendments-to-polish-law-risk-arbitrary-detention-of-unaccompanied-and-separated-children 
    The rules and restrictions in Poland’s closed migrant centers are very similar to those in prisons - a point highlighted by the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Bistieva and others v. Poland  https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/fre/#{%22itemid%22:[%22001-182210%22]} 
  3. https://www.tokfm.pl/polska/lubelskie/nastolatek-z-granicy-moze-trafic-za-kraty-bulwersujaca-zmiana-w-ustawie-wstyd-mi-za-panstwo