UN-Backed Group Urges End to Detention of Children A coalition of advocacy groups says nations needlessly detain thousands of children a day at border crossings and must do a better job of managing their cases to prevent abuses. The U.N.-backed International Detention Coalition says many children are unaccompanied and get locked up for lack of proper documentation, not because of wrongdoing. Jeroen Van Hove, campaign coordinator for the Australia-based coalition, told reporters Wednesday the majority are "fleeing war, poverty and end up in a detention center" for weeks or months on end. A report by the coalition based on interviews with 70 children in 11 nations found many children detained in a range of facilities, particularly in Australia, Greece, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa and the U.S.