Guidelines on treatment of children in asylum system ignored
A report from the Refugee and Migrant Justice charity argues that government guidelines introduced last year on the treatment of child refugees are regularly ignored.
The Does Every Child Matter? report describes a number of cases where children have been denied access to legal help, are detained and face a ‘culture of disbelief’ – all problems that the UK Border Agency’s Code of Practice for keeping children safe from harm is supposed to prevent.
BBC News: UK child asylum rules flouted
The Guardian: Caroline Slocock: Treat these children like children
Read full Refugee and Migrant Justice press release
Age of young refugee to be decided in court
A High Court case to decide whether a paediatrician’s assessment of a young Afghan refugee as 15 is correct could have an impact on whether he should stay in the UK or be removed, and on the wider legal implications of whether medical experts are capable of accurately assessing a person’s age. A social worker for a local authority has assessed the refugee’s age as “at least 18”.
Judith Dennis of the Refugee Council says: "At least 2,000 young people a year are 'age disputed' by immigration officers at the Home Office.
"They don't produce numbers but our own figures show about 50% of those we help to challenge an initial decision are later treated as children after a professional assessment."
The Guardian: Court to decide whether Afghan seeking asylum in UK is a boy aged 15 – or a man
Daily Mail: High Court launches test cases to show asylum ‘children’ are adults
Detention of children “dehumanising”
Talking to the BBC’s Politics Show, the chief executive of the Welsh Refugee Council, Mike Lewis, called the detention of children “dehumanising” and “abusive”. The charity has released a report into the effects of detention on children.
Jenny Willott, MP for Cardiff Central, said: “I think children are treated very very harshly in the asylum system. I don’t think we should be detaining children at all.
“Children have not committed any crime and yet they’re being treated as if they were criminals and being locked up.”
Meanwhile, the Children’s Commissioner for England, Sir Al Aynsley-Green, has expressed concern over conversations he has had with many traumatised children over their experiences of detention and attempted removal.
BBC News: Row on asylum children detention
The Telegraph: Asylum seeker children ‘removed in caged vans’
Welsh Refugee Council briefing on children in detention
Report warns of destitution for refused asylum seekers
A report commissioned by Pafras warned that hundreds of thousands of refused asylum seekers are living in extreme poverty in the UK - the majority of them surviving on less than £5 a week. Almost 3/4 of them have spent time sleeping outside. The report was released in conjunction with an exhibition of photographs of refused asylum seekers led by the Still Human, Still Here campaign, in which Refugee Council is taking part.
The Guardian: UK accused over asylum seekers left to live on $1 a day
The Guardian: Asylum seekers: Britain's shadow people
New film details struggle of refugees
A new French film, ‘Welcome’, tells the story of a Kurdish refugee who is determined to swim the Channel in order to find refuge in Britain.
The Independent: Asylum seeker film provokes vow over Vichy slur
Over 4,000 people sign petition to stop removals of gay asylum seekers
A petition which asks the Prime Minister to end removals of people who may be imprisoned, tortured or executed because of their sexuality has been signed by many MPs.
Pinknews.co.uk: MPs and celebs back petition on gay asylum seekers
Refugees express thanks for sanctuary
Refugees in Oxford expressed their thanks for being welcomed by the city at a ceremony to mark the city’s bid to become an official City of Sanctuary.
Martin Shaba, from Zimbabwe, said: “Oxford has allowed me to do my studies, has given me shelter and the people helped me integrate into society.”
Oxford Mail: Refugees say thank you for sanctuary in Oxford
