Women for Refugee Women works across a range of media to give voice to women’s experience in the asylum process.
Media Queries
samantha@refugeewomen.co.uk
020 7250 1239
07518 397761
Recent Media Coverage
April 2020
Our director Natasha Walter speaks about the impact of coronavirus on women locked up at Yarl’s Wood
Jane Garvey, BBC Woman’s Hour, 2 April 2020
Coronavirus: Yarl’s Wood detainees ‘terrified’ after positive test – Natasha Walter speaks on BBC One News
Emma Ailes/Victoria Derbyshire, BBC One, 1 April 2020
Gemma Lousley speaks about why its time to release women detained at Yarl’s Wood (from 3:33)
Roberto Perrone, BBC Three Counties Radio, 1 April, 2020
MARCH 2020
Calls to close Yarl’s Wood immigration centre after detainee tests positive for COVID-19
ITV, 23 March 2020
Woman held at immigration centre tests positive for coronavirus
PA, The Daily Mail, 22 March 2020
Woman tests positive for coronavirus at immigration detention centre
Jimmy Nsubuga, The Metro, 22, March 2020
Woman in Yarl’s Wood tests positive for coronavirus in first confirmed case in UK removal centre
May Bulman, The Independent, 22 March 2020
‘I’m Forced To Be Trapped With Him’: For A Domestic Violence Victim, Self-Isolation Is Life Threatening
Natalie Gil, Elle, 19 March 2020
Domestic abuse bill fails to protect children and migrant women – charities
Jamie Grierson, The Guardian, 3 March 2020
FEBRUARY 2020
‘At home I feared the war. Here I feared the Home Office’: the female refugees left destitute in the UK
Paula Cocozza, The Guardian, 12 February 2020
Made homeless by the state: Britain’s assault on women seeking asylum
Priscilla Dudhia, Politics.co.uk, 12 February 2020
‘Anna’, an LGBT asylum-seeking woman who was made destitute, and Natasha Walter on BBC Woman’s Hour (from 23.27)
Jane Garvey, BBC Radio 4, 11 February 2020
‘It’s the cold that will kill you’: this is what it’s like to be made destitute as an asylum seeker
Moya Lothian-McLean and Edna Mohamed, gal-dem, 11 February 2020
‘Victoria’ and Marchu Girma speak about our research on destitution to BBC London
Marc Ashdown, BBC London, 11 February 2020
I was sexually assaulted in my home country – and again when I was made destitute in the UK
As told by a refugee woman in our network to Alice Hall, The Telegraph, 11 February 2020
Women seeking asylum in UK being made homeless and attempting suicide, chilling report finds
Maya Oppenheim, The Independent, 11 February 2020
Nearly a third of asylum-seeking women fleeing sexual violence were abused again white destitute in Britain, study finds
Chantal Da Silva, Newsweek, 11 February 2020
Report: Women Seeking Asylum in Britain Often Find Destitution (also a radio piece)
Marthe van der Wolf, VOA, 11 February 2020
JANUARY 2020
Why ‘stronger borders’ don’t work
Maya Goodfellow et al., The Guardian, 21 January 2020
Thousands of asylum seekers not reporting rapes due to Home Office stigma and ‘culture of disbelief’
Maya Oppenheim, The Independent, 1 January 2020
NOVEMBER 2019
Women for Refugee Women wants your unused beauty products this Christmas
Alice Gibb, Dazed, 15 November 2019
When women MPs are forced to quit to stay safe, all of us suffer
Natasha Walter and Marchu Girma signed The Centenary Action Group letter, The Metro, 1 November 2019
OCTOBER 2019
‘I had to go to McDonald’s and use toilet roll’: The women living on £37.75 a week who can’t afford tampons
Sarah Graham, inews, 31 October 2019
Chinese women forced into sex slavery by traffickers to save indebted husbands
Milo Boyd, The Mirror, 26 October 2019
China-UK people trafficking often driven by debt, experts say
Diane Taylor and Lily Kuo, The Guardian, 24 October 2019
Samantha Hudson talks about how the closure of safe routes to the UK has forced people into situations of desperation and danger
Anna Foster and Tony Livesey, BBC 5 Live, 24 October 2019
How do you prove your sexuality? Diva meets six women who have been forced to do just that
Danielle Mustarde, DIVA Magazine, 1 October 2019
JULY 2019
The government needs to do more to protect victims of human trafficking
Open letter signed by 22 organisations including WRW, The Independent, 17 July 2019
Home Office accused of covering up plight of hundreds of trafficking victims wrongly detained in immigration centres
May Bulman, The Independent, 16 July 2019
Why are so many vulnerable Chinese women being detained at Yarl’s Wood?
Charlotte Lytton, The Telegraph, 10 July 2019
Our Gemma Lousley and Shalini Patel of Duncan Lewis solicitors spoke on Woman’s Hour
Jane Garvey, BBC Radio 4, 9 July 2019
Chinese women being trafficked to UK suffer further harm as detention numbers nearly double
Maya Oppenheim, The Independent, 9 July 2019
Trafficking victim ‘released straight back to her abusers’ by the Home Office
Nicola Bartlett, The Mirror, 9 July 2019
More than 500 victims of trafficking detained in 2018, UK study finds
Diane Taylor, The Guardian, 9 July 2019
Trafficked: The Chinese women trapped in British detention centres
Samantha Hudson, Politics.co.uk, 9 July 2019
Yarl’s Wood: Trafficking victims ‘detained for months’
BBC, 9 July 2019
- Our communications executive, Samantha Hudson, spoke live on BBC Three Counties radio
- Samantha Hudson and Shalini Patel spoke on BBC Look East’s evening news.
Victims of modern slavery are being “failed” by the Home Office
ITV 9 July 2019
- Our director, Natasha Walter, also spoke live on ITV News Anglia
BBC Radio 4’s Today in Parliament show covered the Westminster Hall debate led by Jess Phillips MP, including extracts of MPs speeches that referenced our research
BBC Radio 4, 9 July 2019
Our director Natasha Walter spoke live on talkRADIO’s Julia Hartley Brewer breakfast show, and solictor Shalini Patel spoke live on talkRADIO’s Dan Wooten drivetime show.
Trafficked prostitute returned by immigration officials to brothel where she was sexually exploited
Charles Hymas, The Telegraph, 9 July 2019
Sex trafficking victims being ‘failed by Home Office’, report finds
Greg Russell, The National, 9 July 2019
Hundreds of trafficking victims held in immigration detention centres
Emily Mee, Sky News, 9 July 2019
Sex slaves are being failed by the Home Office, report reveals
Ceren Sagir, The Morning Star, 9 July 2019
The week ahead in Parliament
Mark D’Arcy, BBC, 5 July 2019
JUNE 2019
Home Office sending modern slavery victims back to addresses where they were abused, lawyers warn
May Bulman, The Independent, 3 June 2019
MAY 2019
Female asylum seekers on the bizarre burden of proving their queerness
Clare Considine, The Face, 29 May 2019
Theresa May denied the full humanity of migrants and refugees. She doesn’t deserve your tears
Natasha Walter, New Statesman, 24 May 2019
Life behind bars at Yarl’s Wood
‘Voke’ (a woman in our network), Red Pepper, 21 May 2019
Tory peer claims landmark treaty tackling violence against women could be used to bring terrorists to UK
Maya Oppenheim, The Independent, 17 May 2019
Migration
‘Gabi’ and Sam from WRW speak to Adwoa Aboah with Philli from Help Refugees and Dorine from Say it Loud Club, Gurls Talk Podcast, 13 May 2019
APRIL 2019
UK’s asylum system abuses women’s dignity
Marianna Karakoulaki, Deutsche Welle, 28 April 2019
Britain Detained – Immigration Detention in the UK
Ross Field, Videoblogg Productions, 11 April 2019
MARCH 2019
11 inspiring charities that deserve your attention this International Women’s Day
Stylist Magazine, 8 March 2019
FEBRUARY 2019
Home Office admits it unlawfully detained trafficking victim for six months
May Bulman, The Independent, 13 February 2019
Everyday Sexism Twitter takeover shines spotlight on Yarl’s Wood detainees
Erica Roffe, Bedford Independent, 4 February 2019
JANUARY 2019
Our director Natasha Walter spoke on BBC World Service about why its time to stop detaining asylum-seeking women (listen from 32:16)
BBC Focus on Africa, BBC World Service, 31 January 2019
Three women share heartbreaking stories from the notorious Yarl’s Wood detention centre
Fréa Lockley, The Canary, 30 January 2019
DECEMBER 2018
Ten ambulance callouts a week to detention centres
Sarah Marsh and Haroon Siddique, The Guardian, 26 December 2018
Chinese women trafficked to UK ‘being failed by Home Office’
Aamna Mohdin, The Guardian, 12 December 2018
Trafficked Chinese woman: ‘The lorry door opened and we ran’
Aamna Mohdin, The Guardian, 12 December 2018
I Was Detained In The UK For 8 Months & It Made Me Suicidal
Natalie Gil, Refinery29, 7 December 2018
Detained, Disbelieved, Dismissed and Denied Essential Medical Treatment: Healthcare in Yarl’s Wood
‘Elizabeth’, Hysterical Women, 5 December 2018
NOVEMBER 2018
After 17 years, it’s time to close Yarl’s Wood
New Statesman, Helen Lewis, 20 November 2018
Natasha Walter and ‘Robbina’, a woman in our network who was previously locked up and attempted to take her own life in detention, spoke about why it is time to close Yarl’s Wood
BBC Look East, Nabihah Parker, 19 November 2018
“For me, Yarl’s Wood was another torture”
Unlocked 18, ‘Gabby’, 14 November 2018
Female Artists Are Auctioning Off Their Work To Support London’s Refugee And Migrant Women
ELLE, Louise Donovan, 7 November 2018
OCTOBER 2018
Legal aid access and no family separations: an immigration detention wishlist
The Guardian, Diane Taylor and Caroline Bannock, 10 October 2018
Revealed: sick, tortured immigrants locked up for months in Britain
The Guardian, Diane Taylor and Niamh McIntyre, 10 October 2018
Featured Social Founders: Natasha Walter
Social Founder, Caroline Diehl, 15 October 2018
SEPTEMBER 2018
Abbott unveils plan that would level playing field for non-EU migrants
Morning Star, Lamait Sabin, 13 September 2018
More than 100 pregnant women detained in UK removal centres since major review called for ban
The Independent, May Bulman, 11 September 2018
Three ways for activists to stay hopeful in these grim times
The Guardian, Natasha Walter, 4 September 2018
JULY 2018
The Home Office wants to keep the horrors of Yarl’s Wood a secret – here’s what happened to me
The Independent, ‘Gabby’ a woman in our network shares her story of detention, 25 July 2018
Sajid Javid told: ‘torture victims driven to suicide by system’
The Guardian, Amelia Hill, 11 July 2018
Why the Women’s March sees Trump’s UK visit as ‘a glorious opportunity’
50.50 OpenDemocracy, Sian Norris, 11 July 2018
JUNE 2018
#AllWomenCount: art and culture at the forefront of World Refugee Day
The Conversation, Anna Ball, 18 June 2018
MAY 2018
100 years of the women’s vote: the art of the suffragette movement
The Sunday Times Magazine, Leaf Arbuthnot, 20 May 2018
‘The Truth About Fake News’ – the portrayal of refugees and asylum seekers in the media
The Meteor, Alice Toomer, 4 May 2018
Abusive men ‘using immigration fears to control women’
The Guardian, Karen McVeigh, 2 May 2018
APRIL 2018
Sajid Javid urged to adopt ‘new approach’ to immigration by major charities
The Independent, May Bulman, 30 April 2018
Asylum policy is a gendered issue
IPPR, Marchu Girma, 20 April 2018
Detention and Destitution: The Asylum Journey in the UK
Samantha Hudson, Wasafiri, 2 April 2018
MARCH 2018
Secret world: The women in the UK who cannot report sexual abuse
BBC, Megha Mohan, 27 March 2018
Our grassroots director Marchu Girma speaks about refugee and asylum-seeking women’s #MeToo stories and the need for safe reporting mechanisms
BBC World Service, 27 March 2018 (skip to 47:10)
Why we must continue to fight for the women of Yarl’s Wood
Stylist, Clare Considine, 13 March 2018
A message from the women of Yarl’s Wood on International Women’s Day
New Statesman, written by women on hunger strike in Yarl’s Wood, 8 March 2018
Woman on hunger strike after losing her job, house and marriage when she applied for a passport to go on honeymoon
The Daily Mirror, Ros Wynne Jones, 8 March 2018
Marchu Girma spoke about the All Women Count lobby of parliament
BBC Victoria Derbyshire Show, 8 March 2018 (skip to 1:40:00)
Speaking to the women hunger striking at Yarl’s Wood
Dazed, Clare Considine, 8 March 2018
Here’s what you can do to support refugee women
i-D Magazine, Clementine de Pressigny, 8 March 2018
Refugees are spending International Women’s Day lobbying Parliament
The Big Issue, Alan Woodhouse, 7 March 2018
“We won’t stop until our voices are heard” – inside the hunger strike at Yarl’s Wood
The Pool, Clare Considine, 1 March 2018
No more secrets: how a strike at Yarl’s Wood is giving refugee women a voice
Prospect Magazine, Samantha Hudson, 1 March 2018
FEBRUARY 2018
Gemma Lousley and a woman on strike in Yarls’ Wood spoke on Woman’s Hour
BBC Radio 4, Jane Garvey, 27 February 2018
100 Immigrant Women Are on Hunger Strike at a Notorious UK Detention Center
Broadly, Zing Tsjeng, 26 February 2018
#AllWomenCount: Demanding Safety, Dignity And Liberty For All Women
Social Change Agency, Jinan Younis, 26 February 2018
Yarl’s Wood women feel desperate, says Diane Abbott
The Guardian, Amelia Gentleman, 23 February 2018
More than 100 women in Yarl’s Wood detention centre go on hunger strike over ‘inhumane’ conditions
The Independent, May Bulman, 22 February 2018
This state sanctioned suffering must stop
Church Times, Mark Oakley, 16 February 2018
This London Activist Wants #MeToo to Include Refugee and Migrant Women
Global Citizen, Imogen Calderwood, 6 February 2018
Lives interrupted: Caroline Walker’s paintings of female asylum seekers in London
FT Magazine, Liz Jobey, 2 February 2018
JANUARY 2018
5 stories about seeking refugee status in the UK
i-D, Ryan White and Olivia Head, 26 January 2018
Nine Incredible Women’s Organisations To Get Involved With In 2018
ELLE, Olivia Blair, 17 January 2018
DECEMBER 2018
Woman spending Christmas in a detention centre reveals ‘there is no hope’
The Metro, Zoe Drewett, 25 December 2017
What’s it like to seek asylum at Christmas? These women have much to teach us about hope
The Pool, Hattie Garlick, 12 December 2017
Inside Yarl’s Wood: ‘Seema begged for help as blood seeped through her bandages’
Left Foot Forward, Amelia Womack, 7 December 2017
‘I survived sexual violence – then I was detained at Yarl’s Wood’
i News, Grace Banks, 6 December 2017
Natasha Walter and ‘Voke’ spoke about our research on the continued detention of vulnerable women at Yarl’s Wood
BBC Look East, 1 December 2017
NOVEMBER 2017
Natasha Walter spoke about the human cost of the inefficient asylum appeals process
Victoria Derbyshire BBC Two and BBC News, 29 November 2017
More rape and torture victims being held at Yarl’s Wood
The Guardian, Alan Travis, 15 November 2017
Majority of women held at Yarl’s Wood are later released into community, prison watchdog reveals
The Independent, May Bulman, 15 November 2017
My great-grandparents died in the Holocaust but now I want German citizenship
The Observer, Natasha Walter, 12 November 2017
The government is still subjecting vulnerable women to abuse at Yarl’s Wood
The Pool, Samira Shackle, 2 November 2017
Why Is The Home Office Still Detaining Victims Of Torture And Sexual Violence?
The Huffington Post, Nazek Ramadan, 2 November 2017
Asylum seeker’s ‘traumatic’ time inside detention centre
BBC News, Frankie McCamley, 1 November 2017
top watched video on the BBC website for the day
Refugee: Yarl’s Wood detention centre was like room where I was raped, feature looping all day. Kate Osamor MP and Natasha Walter also spoke on Sky’s All Out Politics show
Sky News Laura Bundock, 1 November 2017
Natasha Walter, Caroline Spelman MP and ‘Jane’ talk on Woman’s Hour
BBC Radio 4, Jenni Murray, 1 November 2017
Vulnerable women ‘still locked up in Yarl’s Wood immigration centre’
The Guardian, Amelia Hill, 1 November 2017
Home Office detaining sexual violence victims in breach of its own guidelines
The Independent, May Bulman, 1 November 2017
Our Research Shows Vulnerable Women Seeking Asylum Are Being Detained Against Home Office Policy
The Huffington Post, Sarah Cope, 1 November 2017
OCTOBER 2017
“Everyone deserves to feel safe.” Natasha Walter, director of Women for Refugee Women
Northern Soul, Emma Yates-Bradley, 30 October 2017
‘I dream of being an accountant’: Wall of Dreams shines refugees’ hopes over London
The Guardian, Danuta Kean, 13 October 2017
SEPTEMBER 2017
Bloom time: the London floristry scheme helping refugee women
The Guardian, Sarah Graham, 21 September 2017
JULY 2017
A moment that changed me: becoming godmother to a refugee’s baby
The Guardian, Sarah Graham, 7 July 2017
JUNE 2017
What Life Is Like For Refugee Women Arriving In The UK
Refinery29, Sarah Raphael, 21 June 2017
MARCH 2017
‘They will get you’: Britain’s refugee detention centres are no go areas for journalists
IBTimes, Matt Kennard, 27 March 2017
Too many women will spend this Mother’s Day trapped in a British detention centre
Independent, Sarah Cope, 26 March 2017
Noma Dumezweni, actress, discusses our work and her own refugee story
Sky Politics show with Adam Boulton, 13 March 2017
If you’re outraged by the father who tried to ‘fix’ his lesbian daughter with corrective rape, then you should be fighting UK immigration laws
Independent, Sarah Cope, 11 March 2017
No Women’s Day without refugee women
Open Democracy, Che Ramsden, 8 March 2017
For refugee women, periods are a dangerous, shameful time
Thomson Reuters News Foundation, Anna Pujol-Mazzini, 8 March 2017
The women dedicated to helping female refugees who come to the UK
Metro, Nicole Morley, 8 March 2017
A robust asylum system needn’t rely on detention. So why are vulnerable women being locked up?
Telegraph, Caroline Spelman MP, 7 March 2017
Pointless, cruel and expensive: it’s time to close Yarl’s Wood
Politics.co.uk, Gemma Lousley, 6 March 2017
Ukip using refugee crisis as a ‘dirty word’ to tap into deprived communities
Labour MP warns, i News, Heather Saul, 2 March 2017
Women refugees in UK still facing abuse – but who is listening?
IBTimes, Sofia Lotto Persio, 2 March 2017
Women for Refugee Women campaigners urge UK government to end detention-based asylum system
IBTimes, Sofia Lotto Persio, 1 March 2017
FEBRUARY 2017
The UK’s Abandonment of Child Refugees Is A Disgrace For Us All
Huffington Post, Asher Kessler, 13 February 2017
Vermin, filth, threats: the scandal of Britain’s housing for asylum seekers
Guardian, Frances Ryan, 2 February 2017
JANUARY 2017
Protesters flood Downing Street in Uproar over Trump travel ban
London News Online, Jack Dixon, 31 January 2017
The political gets personal at Women’s March on London. Women refugees take to the stage in Trafalgar Square
IBTimes, Sofia Lotto Persio, 21 January 2017
Things refugees are tired of hearing featuring Meltem, Rehab and Shahd from our network of refugee women
BBC Three, 3 January 2017
DECEMBER 2016
For Pregnant Refugees, Every Day Is a Fight to Survive
Broadly, Sarah Graham, 2 December 2016
NOVEMBER 2016
One Clear Action Our Government Can Take To End Violence Against Women: Closing Yarl’s Wood
Huffington Post, Sarah Cope, 25 November 2016
OCTOBER 2016
When the Calais camp closes, what will happen to its vulnerable women?
Guardian Comment is Free, Natasha Walter, 3 October 2016
SEPTEMBER 2016
The refugee crisis is a feminist issue. We can’t just sit by and watch
Guardian Comment is Free, Helen Pankhurst, 19 September 2016
A ‘graveyard’ of refugees’ lifejackets has been placed outside the Houses of Parliament
Mashable, 19 September 2016
‘Listen to the Women’, Charities Urge, Ahead of UN Refugee Summit
Huffington Post, Sarah Cope, 13 September 2016
Set Her Free
Huffington Post, Emma-Louise Boynton, 12 September 2016
“What they took with them”: Cate Blanchett in plea for refugees ahead of summit
Mail Online, 12 September 2016
Yarl’s Wood is ‘No Good’: Protesters Slam UK Detention Center, Call for Closure
Sputnik News, 12 September 2016
AUGUST 2016
Home Office forced to reveal pregnant women kept in immigration detention centres
Politics.co.uk, Ian Dunt, 3 August 2016
Good Chance set up a theatre in the Calais jungle – now they’re coming to the Southbank
Evening Standard previews our event ‘Why Women Refugees Are Often Unheard And Unseen’, part of Good Chance Theatre’s Encampment, 1 August 2016
JULY 2016
Women’s Equality Party launches campaign calling on UK PM May to act
Newsweek, 22 July 2016
Yarl’s Wood: Six sex assault allegations investigated
BBC News, 15 July 2016
JUNE 2016
Haven Sent
Standard Issue Magazine, Sarah Graham, 20 June 2016
We’re calling on the Government to tell the truth about women at Yarl’s Wood – join us
(and related news story: Home Office refuses to reveal if women in Yarl’s Wood immigration centre have been raped)
The Telegraph, Radhika Sanghani, 13 June 2016
Home Office ordered to release information on pregnant women
Politics.co.uk, Ian Dunt, 13 June 2016
Anger over Home Office’s refusal to answer Yarl’s Wood rape questions for ‘commercial reasons’
Bedfordshire on Sunday, 13 June 2016
‘Hell on Earth’: Surviving in a Women-Only Detention Center
Broadly, Aimee Stanton, 13 June 2016
Why Are The Home Office Refusing To Answer Questions About Yarl’s Wood?
The Debrief, Vicky Spratt, 13 June 2016
MAY 2016
Pregnant women in detention centres kept hidden by the Home Office
Politics.co.uk, Ian Dunt, 17 May 2016
How Was This Woman Locked Up In Yarl’s Wood For 18 Months, For No Reason?
The Debrief, Vicky Spratt, 2 May 2016
APRIL 2016
It’s time for an absolute ban on detaining pregnant women
The Justice Gap, Jane Ryan, 18 April 2016
Historic vote could make it illegal to detain pregnant women in UK immigration centres
The Telegraph, Radhika Sanghani, 13 April 2016
Yarl’s Wood: House of Lords votes to end detention of pregnant women in UK
Bedfordshire on Sunday, 13 April 2016
MARCH 2016
Seeking liberation, seeking comfort: women migrants in the UK
Open Democracy, Ché Ramsden, 24 March 2016
The reality of being a pregnant woman in Yarl’s Wood
The Pool, Sarah Graham, 21 March 2016
Natasha Walter and Meltem Avcil discuss the detention of female asylum seekers on the Murnaghan show
Sky News, 13 March 2016
Detaining women refugees is imprisonment, plain and simple
Guardian, Lola Okolosie, 9 March 2016
What Goes On At Yarl’s Wood Should Be A National Scandal – So Why Isn’t It?
The Debrief, Vicky Spratt, 9 March 2016
“Home Secretary, you are a woman too”: protesters call on Theresa May to free Yarl’s Wood detainees
New Statesman, Anoosh Chakelian, 8 March 2016
Yarl’s Wood Has No Place In Civilised Society
Morning Star, Kate Osamor MP, 8 March 2016
So solidarisch zeigen sich Frauen weltweit
Brigitte, 7 March 2016
‘The detention of women who seek asylum is a stain on our national character’
The Justice Gap, 7 March 2016
Guest post: “Detention is no place for pregnant women”
Mumsnet, Sarah Graham, 7 March 2016
Set Her Free
Video produced by Mumsnet in collaboration with Women for Refugee Women, 4 March 2016
Romola Garai: Detaining pregnant refugees is stain on our national character
Evening Standard, 4 March 2016
‘Solidarity with my sisters’: the campaign to change the lives of refugee women
Guardian G2, Natasha Walter, 2 March 2016
FEBRUARY 2016
The Women Suffering In Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre
Refinery29, Charlotte England, 18 February 2016
Inside Yarl’s Wood: ‘Britain will give me leave to remain – when I am buried here’
International Business Times, Orlando Crowcroft, 9 February 2016
Inside Yarl’s Wood: ‘Britain supported Nelson Mandela – yet it treats us like this‘
International Business Times, Orlando Crowcroft, 9 February 2016
JANUARY 2016
Long-awaited report calls for end to detention of pregnant women at Yarl’s Wood
Bedfordshire on Sunday, 14 January 2016
DECEMBER 2015
All the donated sweaters in the world aren’t enough to solve the refugee crisis
The Guardian, Natasha Walter, 30 December 2015
International Migrants Day: ‘Yarl’s Wood was like being tortured for a second time’
International Business Times, Lydia Smith, 17 December 2015
“I don’t want anybody else to be detained like I was”
Cosmopolitan, 3 December 2015 – interview with Set Her Free campaigner Meltem Avcil, winner of Cosmo’s Ultimate Campaigner 2015 award
How To Stage A Protest
Marie Claire, Corinne Redfern, 3 December 2015 (and in print, January 2016 issue)
The stories of women I met at Yarl’s Wood show how British detention laws remain the most barbaric in the EU
The Independent, Kate Osamor MP, 1 December 2015
NOVEMBER 2015
“What have I got to lose?” Hunger strikes and protests at Yarl’s Wood detention centre
New Statesman, Sarah Graham, 10 November 2015
“Home Office broke rules on handcuffing asylum seekers” says charity
The Guardian, Lisa O’Carroll, 9 November 2015
Hundreds protest against Yarl’s Wood detention centre
Socialist Worker, 8 November 2015 – with quote from Jade, London Refugee Women’s Forum secretary
OCTOBER 2015
Jane is incredible and talented. And UK asylum rules are forcing her to beg
The Guardian, Natasha Walter, 29 October 2015
Stop detaining pregnant women at Yarl’s Wood
The Justice Gap, Jane Ryan, 28 October 2015
Civil disobedience may be the bravest option for feminists but it’s not always the smartest one
New Statesman, Caroline Criado-Perez, 22 October 2015 – with Marchu Girma
SEPTEMBER 2015
Rape and child abuse ‘rife’ in German refugee centre
Mail Online, 24 September 2015
Natasha Walters comments on the dangers facing detained women asylum seekers
Women’s Institute centenary: 100 years of UK’s largest voluntary women’s organisation
Yahoo News, 15 September 2015
mentions our Solidarity Quilt with Shoreditch Sisters WI
Solidarity With Refugees march – in pictures, featuring two photos of WAST members
Guardian Online, 13 September 2015
Finally, refugees are in the limelight. How do we help them once the news moves on?
New Statesman, Marchu Girma, 11 September 2015
Former Detainees Urge UK To Close Down Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre
Buzzfeed, Siraj Datoo, 10 September 2015
Inside Yarl’s Wood: ‘My disabled wife was forced to crawl on the floor to get food’
The Telegraph Online, Radhika Sanghani, 4 September 2015
Concerns over ‘worrying lack of transparency’ as MP Catherine West is barred from Yarl’s Wood
Bedfordshire On Sunday, 1 September 2015
AUGUST 2015
Persecuted for being Christian – we fled to Britain only to be locked up
The Telegraph Online, Radhika Sanghani, 27 August 2015
“Home Office bar on immigration detention centre visit is appalling” says MP
Harringey Independent, 27 August 2015
Inside Yarl’s Wood
Stylist magazine, 26 August 2015
Inside the UK’s worst detention centre: ‘Hell must be better than that place’
The Telegraph Online, Radhika Sanghani, 20 August 2015
What will it take for the shameful detention of women at Yarl’s Wood to stop?
New Statesman, Caroline Criado-Perez, 12 August 2015
Women for Refugee Women’s director Natasha Walter and campaigner Maimuna Jawo on Channel 4 News
Channel 4 News, 12 August, 2015
Yarl’s Wood conditions and treatment deteriorated significantly since 2013
The Independent, 12 August 2015
Conditions at Yarl’s Wood have got worse says Prison Inspector
Bedford Times & Citizen, Victoria West, 12 August 2015
Why I don’t want to be in Yarl’s Wood ever again
BBC News Online, Sally Graham, 12 August 2015
Sophie Radice, Comms person for Women for Refugee Women on Radio 5 Live
Radio 5 Live (listen from 50.49), 12 August 2015
Prison’s Watchdog: Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre is ‘ a place of national concern’
The Telegraph Online, Radhika Sanghani, 12 August, 2015
Inside the UK’s worst detention centre: ‘Ten weeks of hell for fleeing forced marriage‘
The Telegraph Online, Radhika Sanghani, 12 August 2015
Yarl’s Wood is symptomatic of Britain’s paranoia about migrants
The Guardian, Ellie Mae O’Hagan, 12 August 2015
UK prisons inspector seeks time limits on detention of migrants without trial
The Guardian, 12 August 2015
JUNE 2015
Calls to close Yarl’s Wood
Bedford Today, Tracey Wye, 8 June 2015
To create a buzz, go online. To create real change, go out and protest
The Guardian, Natasha Walter, 7 June 2015
Yarl’s Wood detention centre ‘is a prison’, report on the protest
BBC, Leana Hosea, 7 June 2015
Yarl’s Wood Detention
Three Countries BBC, Nesta McGregor (from 15.55), 7 June 2015
Reopen your heart, Britain, and close Yarl’s Wood
Actress and campaigner Romola Garai writes for The Sunday Times, 7 June 2015
Hundreds protest to demand closure of Yarl’s Wood immigration centre
The Observer, Mark Townsend, 6 June 2015
Massive Yarl’s Wood protest in pictures
Bedfordshire on Sunday, 6 June 2015
‘Shut this hell hole down’: Activists stage massive Yarl’s Wood campaign
Bedfordshire on Sunday, 6 June 2015
Yarl’s Wood protesters demand shutdown – coverage of the protest
Channel 4 News, 6 June
Set Her Free; the protest you have to know about – feature on the protest
Marie Claire, 4 June
MAY 2015
Nesta McGregor
Three Counties Radio from 01.12, 24 May 2015
Mayor says close ‘inhumane’ Yarl’s Wood‘
Bedfordshire on Sunday, 23 May 2015
#SetherFree Yarl’s Wood Protest will be ‘biggest since children were held there’
Bedfordshire On Sunday, May 18 2015
Yarl’s Wood Guard suspended over alleged assault on Women
The Observer, Mark Townsend, 25 April 2015
What Kate Hopkins wrote was monstrous. But save your anger for the politicians who decided to let migrants drown
New Statesman, Sarah Ditum, 20 April 2015
APRIL 2015
Women for Refugee Women call to stop ‘ tinkering around with Yarl’s Wood’
Bedfordshire On Sunday, 19 April 2015
MARCH 2015
Feminism is on the move again, but there is still a lot of work to do
Huffington Post, Natasha Walter, 2 March 2015
Natasha Walter on Woman’s Hour, talking with Jane Garvey about Yarl’s Wood
BBC Woman’s Hour, 3 March 2015
‘Headbutt the bitch’: why Yarl’s Wood needs to ditch male guards
The Telegraph Online, Radhika Sanghani, 3 March 2015
What crime have I committed to be held like this?
Amelia Gentleman visited Yarl’s Wood with Women for Refugee Women for the Guardian, 3 March 2015
Thanks to Channel 4, we now see just how appallingly Yarl’s Wood shames Britain
The Independent, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, 2 March 2015
Yarl’s Wood: undercover in the secretive immigration centre
Channel 4 News filmed undercover for this brilliant investigation. Women for Refugee Women supported one woman who had been detained, Esther, to talk candidly to the news programme about her experiences in Yarl’s Wood, 2 March 2015
JANUARY 2015
Set Her Free, a spectrum of solidarity for asylum-seeking women
Open Democracy, Agnes Woolley, 21 January 2015
Conference makes the case for ending detention
The Guardian, Caroline Criado-Perez on the launch of our report, 14 January 2015
Four Men Watched Me
Jackie Long’s report on our research, Channel 4 News, 14 January 2015
Women’s privacy ‘violated’ at Yarl’s Wood
Newsweek, 14 January 2015
Yarl’s Wood criticised by charity for women refugees
Sanchia Berg report for World At One, BBC Radio 4, 14 January 2015
“Female detainees at Yarl’s Wood routinely humiliated” claims report
The Guardian, Amelia Gentleman, 14 January 2015
DECEMBER 2014
Inside Britain’s worst Immigration removal Centre at Christmas
The Telegraph Online, Radhika Sanghani, 24 December 2014
The New Statesman Christmas Campaign 2014: End the detention of women seeking asylum
New Statesman, 4 December 2014
NOVEMBER 2014
Why has Serco been awarded the contract to continue running Yarl’s Wood?
New Statesman, Caroline Criado-Perez, 27 November 2014
Serco given Yarl’s Wood Immigration Contract despite ‘vast failings’
The Independent, 24 November 2014
New Serco Yarl’s Wood deal slammed
Daily Mail Online, 24 November 2014
Yarl’s Wood Contract renewal ‘ unacceptable’
BBC, 24 November 2014
Inside the notorious Yarl’s Wood immigration centre
Cole Moreton speaks to detainees and campaigners, Newsweek, 5 November 2014
This is what life is like inside an immigration centre
Meltem Avcil & Sophie Radice on London Live TV, 5 November 2014
OCTOBER 2014
Politicians’ actions speak louder than words
Boyd Tonkin speaks out for women in Yarl’s Wood, Independent, 31 October 2014
Death prompts new call for Yarl’s Wood to be closed
Bedfordshire on Sunday, 26 October 2014
Gay and lesbian asylum seekers face intrusive sexual questions
The Independent, 23 October 2014
Meltem Avcil interviewed for Vogue
Vogue, October 2014
JUNE 2014
Yarl’s Wood: asylum seekers to give evidence in Parliament
The Guardian, 28 June 2014
The Angelina Jolie effect at the Sexual Violence Summit
The Guardian, 11 June 2014
Theresa May needs to step up and help female victims of sexual violence coming to the UK
The Telegraph, 11 June 2014
Jade and the Shoreditch Sisters take the solidarity quilt to the Foreign Office Summit
The Evening Standard, 10 June 2014
Jade and the Shoreditch Sisters speak to London Live about the solidarity quilt
London Live, 10th June 2014
Margaret’s Story: Raped in the Congo, locked up in the UK
The Guardian, 9 June 2014
The Summit coverage
CNN News, ITN News and ITV London News, 10 June 2014
Tua Fesse Fesse speaks about claiming asylum in the UK
BBC Radio 4 Analysis, 2 June 2014
MAY 2014
‘Abri’ (our blogger from inside Yarl’s Wood) speaks to Catrin Nye
BBC Asian Network, 12 May 2014
BBC reports on House of Lords debate on Yarl’s Wood
BBC Democracy Live, 6 May 2014
APRIL 2014
Rachel Walker of the Women’s Institute on knitting together a culture of solidarity
Open Democracy, 28 April 2014
20-year-old Meltem Avcil lifts the lid on Yarl’s Wood
Cosmopolitan, 17 April 2014
UN Investigator barred from UK detention centre
RT News, 16 April 2014
UN rapporteur banned from Yarl’s Wood
Simon Israel for Channel 4 News, including interview with Meltem Avcil, 15 April 2014
UN Inspector denied access to Yarl’s Wood
Sarah Cox for Bedfordshire on Sunday, 15 April 2014
“UN Inspection of Yarl’s Wood was blocked” claim campaigners
Mark Townsend in the Observer, 13 April 2014
Set Her Free campaigners take quilt to Yarl’s Wood
Bedfordshire on Sunday, 11 April 2014
MARCH 2014
Teen Spirit: Young Feminist Heroes
Kira Cochrane talks to Meltem Avcil about campaigning for refugee women, The Guardian, 29 March 2014
Why is the most fashionable Women’s Institute knitting again? Women’s Institute solidarity quilt
Radhika Sanghani, Daily Telegraph, 17 March 2014
Meet the professional refugees lucky to get the minimum wage
Amelia Gentleman, The Guardian, 8 March 2014
including an interview with Agnes from Cote d’Ivoire
Where do we go next on the road to women’s equality – Juliet Stevenson points the finger at the brutal treatment of refugee women
Juliet Stevenson, The Independent, 9 March 2014
FEBRUARY 2014
Former Yarl’s Wood Detainee Calls For an End to ‘Detention Hell’
Bedfordshire On Sunday, 17 February 2014
Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre Shames Britain – When Did “Refugee” Become a Dirty Word?
Laurie Penny joins the campaign, New Statesman 17 February 2014
The Ordeal of Refugees at Yarl’s Wood Shames Us All
Allison Pearson speaks out, Telegraph, 12 February 2014
Zadie Smith calls for end to Women’s ‘Waking nightmare’ at Yarl’s Wood
Zadie Smith, The Guardian, 10 February 2014
Three-Quarters of Detained Women Claiming Asylum in UK Have Experienced Rape or Torture
Huffington Post, 4 February 2014
Lesbian asylum seekers
Natasha Walter with Jane Garvey and Tim Barden, BBC Woman’s Hour, 3 February 2014
Women Asylum Seekers’ Despair Behind Bars
Sky News, 2 February 2014
JANUARY 2014
Criticism of treatment of women asylum seekers
BBC World Tonight, 29 January 2014
Handling of female asylum seekers puts UK to shame
Independent, 29 January 2014
Our Duty to Refugee Women is to Care. Interview with Meltem Avcil
Ros Wynne-Jones, Daily Mirror, 29 January 2014
Why we must end the detention of female asylum seekers in the UK
New Statesman, 29 January 2014
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