UK: Child asylum seekers left traumatised by their treatment
01 November 2005
The Children's Commissioner for England, Professor Al Aynsley-Green, made a number of profound criticisms of government policy, or rather lack of a policy, towards child asylum seekers over the Christmas period. In December, following his visit to the Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre in Bedfordshire he accused the centre of holding children in prison-like conditions. At the beginning of the New Year he said that the government was permitting immigration officials to "snatch" children from their homes leaving them traumatised, in a manner that was outrageous in a civilised society.
The respected paediatrition and former children's health advisor to the National Health Service published his report on a visit to Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre, which is run by GSL, formerly part of Group 4, at the end of October 2005. Aynsley-Green's visit, in his capacity as the Chidren's Commissioner, came after concerns had been raised about the UK's immigration detention of children by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and the European Commissioner for Human Rights. A report on a visit to Yarl's Wood by the Inspector for Prison's, Ann Owers, in February 2005 also raised the alarm when she warned that children were being "damaged" by their detention at the removal centre.
During Aynsley-Green's visit to Yarl's Wood he spoke to a number of children and says that:
The picture that emerged from the visit was one of bewilderment and insecurity for the children. They had no clear idea why they were being detained.
He continued:
Many [children] had no recollection of their country of origin...and in some cases, did not know their parents' state of origin. Indeed, one child, when asked where his mother came from, stated quite clearly that she had come from London. Many of the children clearly saw themselves as English children, (p. 9, Point 22).
The Commissioner also noted that a number of children had been "snatched" from their home without any form of notice. He said:
Children find it at the very least distressing, and at the worst traumatic, to be removed from their home without notice. There is research evidence that indicates that such sudden removal can have long-term negative effects on child's mental health (p. 9, Point 24).
He cites the example of one schoolboy who was seized by an immigration detention team and arrived at Yarl's Wood still in his school uniform.
The report also condemns the length of detention that some children suffer. Ministerial authority is required for the detention of a child for more than 28 days, and this arrangement has been described as "less than satisfactory" by the European Commissioner for Human Rights. The Yarl's Wood report shows that 24 children were detained for between 22 and 28 days; 24 for between 29 and 56 days and 3 children were incarcerated for more than 57 days (p. 10, Point 25). This is "highly regrettable" the Commissioner states. Not knowing what was going to happen to them is also another source of distress for the children, but their was no mechanism for their concerns to be expressed.
Aynsley-Green also attacked unneccesary security measures that meant that children had to pass through as many as ten locked doors and a barred "cell" door. He found that there was a lack of toys and inadequate education measures. Some young people complained of being bullied. Commenting on his report, Aynsley-Green expressed concern to The Times newspaper that the treatment of asylum seeking children was at odds with the goals of the government's "Every Child Matters" legislation, He added that his concerns werre shared by the Children's Commisioners for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Children's Commissioner "An Announced Visit to Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre”,31.10.05:
http://www.ncadc.org.uk/newszine66/Yarlwood_children_com