No Borders London Press Release, Friday 28th July 2006

Parents of children at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre in Bedfordshire have started a hunger strike demanding that their families be released. Their protest started yesterday and followed the publication of a critical report on Yarl’s Wood by the Chief Inspector of Prisons.

The parents of sixteen families started their protest by refusing their morning meal on Thursday and they have also refused to send their children to either the school or the nursery within the detention centre. One of the parents said: "We want the Home Office to hear us and free us”. Another said: "It is like they have put us in a small box, with the intention of forcing us to go back to our countries which are not safe… We are tired of being treated as less than human beings, the ill treatment of our wives and children must stop, they deserve to be treated with human dignity."

No Borders London, a group actively involved in supporting detainees, is backing the protest at Yarl’s Wood.

Neil Waggon, a spokesperson for No Borders London said; “While the Home Secretary continues his tough-guy posturing on migration, the human cost is being paid by people held in detention. The Government claims that Every Child Matters but keeps children imprisoned in conditions that anybody else would be prosecuted for – no parent would be allowed to keep children locked up”.
“Like other detainees, the Yarl’s Wood families have committed no crime. They are being locked up for seeking refuge and a better life. Detention centres are inhumane and should be closed immediately”

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Anne Owers, published her critical report on Yarl’s Wood on Wednesday 26th July 2006. The report follows an unannounced visit to Yarl’s Wood to check whether recommendations made in an earlier inspection had been implemented. Owers stated that there was “no evidence to suggest that the child's welfare was taken into consideration” when incarcerating children. She also raised child protection concerns.

Children at Yarl’s Wood include brothers Adecokundo Taiwo and Adeole Taiwo who have asked when they can go back home to their friends and school. Prisca Mounkal and her three children Jan Belinda (aged 3), Glory (5) and Daina (7) arrived at Yarl's Wood last week after being driven across the country from Huddersfield.

Notes for Editors:

1. For the latest news on the protest, including pictures and details of some of the families involved please contact Nellie de jongh at the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns,  Nelliedejongh@ncadc.org.uk, tel.079 1028 2047,  http://www.ncadc.org.uk/

2. No Borders London is part of an international network opposing immigration controls and the repression of migrants. Its Detainee Support Group provides practical support to people in detention centres.

3. Yarls Wood is a 400-bed detention centre, which is run by the private company GSL UK Limited (formerly Group 4). Since it opened there have frequent protests by detainees and supporters.

4. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons report on Yarl’s Wood is available here:  http://www.ncadc.org.uk/newszine72/Yarl's%20Wood.pdf

5. ‘Every Child Matters’ is the Government’s framework for children’s services. Save the Children and the Refugee Council have launched the ‘No place for a child’ campaign against the detention of children. They point out that ‘Children suffer both physically and mentally from their time in detention. Many children have trouble sleeping in detention, suffer from ill health and don’t eat enough. Children feel they are being punished but don’t understand why, often leaving them depressed and traumatised. Parents are also often depressed by their detention experience and find it difficult to provide the support that their children need’. See.  http://www.noplaceforachild.org/