Charity Mutebwa is Here to Stay

"I was detained in Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre in 2005 pending forcible return to Uganda. Here, together with a number of other Ugandan & Zimbabwean women, we began a hunger strike.

"My deportation order should have been stopped when a new solicitor issued legal proceedings the day before I was due to go. However, I was still taken to Heathrow airport. At the last minute my removal was stayed.

"I was extremely weak and sick from her hunger strike but instead of returning me to Yarl's Wood, I was taken on a gruelling 12-hour journey to Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre in Scotland. I was not allowed to leave the van.

"I would like to thank everyone for all the advice/support during the time I was 'going through the fire', it kept me strong and I have now received Indefinite Leave to Remain."

Charity Mutebwa

Urgent Stop Charity Mutebwa's deportation to Uganda
 http://tinyurl.com/CharityMutebwa

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Children held in UK immigration removal centres develop mental and physical health difficulties

Put your MP to work EDMs (Early Day Motions) are the best way to make all MPs aware of issues that concern you, EDM 1982 should concern all MPs

EDM 1982: Detention Of Children, tabled by Chris Mullin MP
That this House notes with concern that around 2,000 children are detained each year in immigration detention centres, some for periods of several months; notes the opinion of Save the Children and the Children's Commissioner that this is unjustified and damaging; notes that families with children are among the least likely to abscond; further notes that some EU and Commonwealth countries have successfully introduced solutions other than secure detention for families who have exhausted their asylum claims; and urgently calls on the Government to end the practice of holding children in immigration detention centres.

Signatures to date: Chris Mullin, Peter Bottomley, Sarah Teather, John Battle, Lynne Jones, Fabian Hamilton, Mar Durkan.
 http://tinyurl.com/EDM1982

Contact your Member of Parliament (MP) and fax them for free:
 http://www.writetothem.com/

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Children made 'sick with fear' in UK immigration detention centres

Medical experts have found clear evidence that children held in UK immigration centres develop mental and physical health difficulties, according to a report published today.

In the first study of its kind, a team of paediatricians and psychologists found 73% of children they examined had developed clinically significant emotional and behavioural problems since being detained. None had previously reported such problems.

The report raised serious concerns over child protection issues after finding that at least 12 of the children had been separated from a main carer, two placed in detention with an adult with whom they had never lived, and one mother and her 20-month-old baby separated for three weeks during an outbreak of chicken pox.

Full article: Karen McVeigh, The Guardian, Tuesday 13 October 2009
 http://tinyurl.com/yfgrgdg

End of Bulletin:

Source for this Message:
NCADC
The Guardian