Campaign to end the detention of children
The New Stateman/ repost | 06.09.2008 08:35 | Anti-racism | Migration
This week the New Statesman launches a major campaign, No Place for Children, which calls for an end to the practice of detaining children for immigration reasons.
No place for children
Throughout its years in government - from Tony Blair's famous "Education, education, education" speech to the more recent "Every Child Matters" programme - Labour has claimed to champion the needs of the younger generation. For the 2,000 children who are sent to UK immigration detention centres every year, however, these claims ring hollow.
These children are torn from their homes, their communities and their friends, locked up for an indeterminate length of time, and denied adequate education and health care. Their only crime is to have parents who have applied for asylum in the UK.
This week the New Statesman launches a major campaign, No Place for Children, which calls for an end to the practice of detaining children for immigration reasons. Together with our backers - the Children's Commissioner for England, the Children's Society, Bail for Immigration Detainees and Women for Refugee Women - we believe the current situation reflects shamefully on a government that prioritises appearing "tough on immigration" over the welfare of innocent young people.
In the coming weeks, the NS will run regular reports on this important issue, and encourage our readers to get involved in the campaign by signing a petition to be launched later in September. With your help, we hope to show the government that every child really does matter, including and especially the most vulnerable
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2008/09/education-children-immigration
Throughout its years in government - from Tony Blair's famous "Education, education, education" speech to the more recent "Every Child Matters" programme - Labour has claimed to champion the needs of the younger generation. For the 2,000 children who are sent to UK immigration detention centres every year, however, these claims ring hollow.
These children are torn from their homes, their communities and their friends, locked up for an indeterminate length of time, and denied adequate education and health care. Their only crime is to have parents who have applied for asylum in the UK.
This week the New Statesman launches a major campaign, No Place for Children, which calls for an end to the practice of detaining children for immigration reasons. Together with our backers - the Children's Commissioner for England, the Children's Society, Bail for Immigration Detainees and Women for Refugee Women - we believe the current situation reflects shamefully on a government that prioritises appearing "tough on immigration" over the welfare of innocent young people.
In the coming weeks, the NS will run regular reports on this important issue, and encourage our readers to get involved in the campaign by signing a petition to be launched later in September. With your help, we hope to show the government that every child really does matter, including and especially the most vulnerable
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2008/09/education-children-immigration
The New Stateman/ repost
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Children + hungerstrikes
06.09.2008 10:04
Channel 4 News - Children in Yarl's Wood - 03/09/08 An incredibly powerful piece - please watch the video clip. Includes interviews with the Children's Commissioner, Morgan Gallagher, two families who were detained at Yarl's Wood, Lin Homer of the Home Office and Keith Vaz MP.
The New Statesman - No Place for Children campaign launched"The New Statesman No Place for Children campaign calls on the government to end the detention of children for immigration reasons ... Over the coming weeks the New Statesman will report on children in immigration detention: the policies, the human stories, and possible alternative approaches."
BBC Radio 4 Women's Hour today - "Is it time to stop detaining children?""Jane is joined by Sir Al Aynsley Green, The Children's Commissioner for England, Natasha Walters, Campaigner for Women for Refugee Women and Lynne Homer, the Chief Executive of UK Border and Immigration." The programme should be available on the "listen again" function soon ;
In the Lancet today - editorial on HungerstrikersEditorial publish by the Lancet on Friday 5th September 2008"Hunger strikers: an editorial highlights the need for independent medical assessment of hunger strikers, ahead of the publication of new UK guidelines later this month." Refers to Medical Justice for further information.
Draft Guidelines for HungerstrikersGuidelines for the Clinical Management of People Refusing Food in Detention Settings & Prison (draft)
Practical Notes on Hunger Strikes by Dr Frank ArnoldIncludes ; Advice to patients, Conduct of consultation, Further observations, Outcomes.
Medical Justice
Homepage:
http://www.medicaljustice.org.uk/