The Declaration
Preamble
Millions of people around the world are locked in cages, unnecessarily isolated from their communities.
Their contact with their families, and access to legal, health, rehabilitation and educational services are restricted due to physical barriers. In the past, those barriers have made such access difficult, impossible or impossibly expensive.
The general population now has access to the internet where communication and information is available, often publicly funded, for little or no cost. This has disadvantaged detainees as email and websites have displaced letters and correspondence courses.
More and more, access to the Internet is necessary to function at a basic level – socially, legally, and politically. We live in a digital age, but detainees are further disadvantaged by being left digitally illiterate and without the skills to contribute to the welfare of themselves, their families, and society at large.
Declaration
- Communicate with others through telecommunications: email, messaging and video calls;
- Express themselves publicly;
- Receive publicly available information, including but not restricted to legal, telehealth, education and counselling information;
- Earn payment through services rendered in their private time, enabling them to maintain their families, contribute to society and prepare for release;
- Access such services on the same level of availability and financial basis as water, food and bedding.