Human Rights Watch has welcomed Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s pledge to end the detention of migrant children.

Malta could immediately fulfil his promise and stop detaining migrant children and their families, sending them straight to open centres instead, the group said in a statement.

It could also stop detaining unaccompanied migrant children until their age was assessed.

Until now, Malta placed virtually all of these migrants in detention for up to 18 months and these could not challenge their detention, making it a violation of European and international law, the group said.

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