Over 50% of women seeking asylum in the UK and over 70% of women in detention are rape survivors. Yet every round of immigration legislation has increased the obstacles women face making their case and securing the safety and protection they are entitled to under international law. In May, women in Yarl’s Wood Removal Centre were forced to protest, including by going on hunger strike, to bring attention to their ordeal.



“We write to you as grandmothers, mothers, sisters & daughters. We are victims of rape, torture & ill treatment, having been forced to flee our countries of origin. Suicidal attempts are many, pregnant women have lost their babies, the suffering is endless. When it comes to removing us we are being beaten mercilessly, bundled in the plane & injured in the most inhumane way.”



The protests and the support gathered among hundreds of individuals and organisations led to removals being stopped and some women being released. They include a breastfeeding mother separated from her baby and young child, and a mother faced with removal despite pursuing a complaint against Stoke Newington Police for raping her son. MPs were prompted to put detailed questions in Parliament which forced ministers to defend the treatment of vulnerable women and children.

Speakers:

Cristel Amiss, Black Women’s Rape Action Project (BWRAP)

Dr Frank Arnold, Medical Justice Network

Tricia Bala, Yarl’s Wood protests & “jailhouse lawyer”

Anver Jeevanjee, ex-lay member of Immigration Appeals Tribunal

Tess Kitzinger, Birth Crisis activist

Louise Hooper, barrister, Garden Court Chambers

Jane Musisi, All African Women’s Group, breastfeeding mother reunited

with her children

Lesley Page, visiting professor in midwifery, King's College London