The new Immigration Minister Damien Green has just announced the end to child detention at a centre in Scotland.
However the article goes on to say
From now on, families detained north of the Border may be sent to Dungavel to undergo initial health and welfare screening but would then be moved to Yarl’s Wood, in Bedfordshire, which has specialist family and child facilities and support services. The Pakistani family - Sehar Shebaz, and her baby daughter - whose incarceration hastened the development were due to be transferred today from Dungavel to Yarl’s Wood
This isn't good enough. Child detention at Yarls Wood must stop as well.
Late as ever (but hey that's me) I come in to comment.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago one of my families were subject to a dawn raid - horrible in itself, the children were so traumatised and I raised a question through an Elected Representative in the Scottish Parliament as to whether the officers had Enhanced Disclosures to come into bedrooms in the middle of the night - and transported to Yarl's Wood. This family had four children aged under 10. They remained there for a month.
I flew down to visit them while they were there and I was absolutely shocked at the lack of games, open space or facilities for children. It broke my heart to think of the children being locked up, especially as I knew what they had fled from, in their homeland.
I read the HM Inspector of Prison's report onlne (now taken down from the interweb...!!)that stated that it was not a suitable environment for children.
They were kept there for 30 days, won their right to appeal and ...are now, some years later, they are British citizens. But for two of the children in particular, trauma stll has a hold on their little spirits. It made me ashamed to be British. :-(