China and over 20 other nations on Wednesday urged "certain countries" to stop violating the rights of children held at immigration detention centers.

Challenges persist despite progress in the protection of children's rights since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations General Assembly 30 years ago, the countries said in a joint statement, which was delivered by Jiang Duan, minister of the Chinese mission to the UN in Geneva, at the 49th regular session of the Human Rights Council. 

These challenges include the detainment of migrant children, the statement said.

"Certain countries have held migrant children at immigration detention centers for a prolonged period of time where conditions are deplorable, and the rights of migrant children are seriously violated," it said.

The statement said the countries were "concerned in particular" that in some countries' migrant children had been forcibly taken away from their parents, with many ending up losing touch with their parents and families, leading to "grave human tragedies."

"We call on the Human Rights Council, the OHCHR and the Special Procedures to continue to attend to violation of children's rights at immigration detention centers," the statement said. "Countries concerned are urged to immediately stop human rights violations at immigration detention centers, halt family separation, prevent private institutions from operating detention centers and hold the perpetrators accountable."