Media

Recent Media Coverage

July 2021

The Anatomy of Activism

Polly Russell, British Library podcasts, 25 July 2021

Firm Linked to Conservatives will Run New Immigration Detention Centre for Women

Sian Norris, Byline Times, 20 July 2021

New figures show the UK government is failing modern slavery victims, say campaigners

Henry Dyer, Business Insider, 2 July 2021

June 2021

More than 70 MPs and peers urge Priti Patel to scrap plans for women’s immigration detention centre

Chiara Giordano, The Independent, 24 June 2021

Pod 158: Yarl’s Wood

Mickey Noonan, Standard Issue Podcast, 16 June 2021

‘I suffered for no reason’: Refugee opposes plans for immigration detention centre in Durham

Rachel Nichol, Chronical Live, 4 June 2021

May 2021

Centre where young offenders were brutally abused to detain women seeking asylum

Ros Wynne Jones and Maryam Qaiser, The Mirror, 27 May 2021

Home Office plan for women’s immigration centre faces legal challenge

Diane Taylor, The Guardian, 17 May 2021

County Durham: Growing concerns about proposed immigration detention centre for women

Gavin Engelbrecht, The Northern Echo, 12 May 2021

April 2021

Priti Patel’s immigration plans will have ‘devastating’ impact on women fleeing gender-based violence and trafficking

Maya Oppenheim, The Independent, 30 April 2021

March 2021

So, Priti Patel, your asylum plans will help women? Let me introduce you to Gloria

Natasha Walter, The Observer, 28 March 2021

Women ‘short-changed’ by predominantly male leaders overseeing Covid response

Maya Oppenheim, The Independent, 3 March 2021

February 2021

Guilt and fury: how Covid brought mothers to breaking point

Natasha Walter, The Observer, 28 February 2021

Revealed: Priti Patel U-turn on end to detention for refugee women

Mark Townsend, The Observer, 27 February 2021

I was human trafficked into the UK and enslaved by my own aunt

‘Faith Obi’ (first-person), The Metro, 23 February 2021

Covid, women and the ‘shecession’: how the pandemic has created a new battle for equality

Susannah Butter, Evening Standard, 23 February 2021

‘As a queer asylum seeker I can’t be myself with healthcare professionals. They just don’t understand’

CeeCee (first-person), Hysterical Women, 22 February 2021

Woman ‘evicted from asylum accommodation’ in sub-zero temperatures

May Bulman, The Independent, 21 February 2021

Asylum seekers waiting months for claims to be processed feel they are in ‘prison’

Dan Rivers (spoke to Stella, a member of our network), ITV, 17 February 2021

The Home Office is locking up thousands of modern slavery survivors – I’m one of them

‘Voke’ (first-person), gal-dem, 5 February 2021

Thousands of potential trafficking victims detained in immigration removal centres, figures show

May Bulman, The Independent, 4 February 2021

Thousands of possible human trafficking victims being detained by UK authorities

Felix Forbes, Sky News, 4 February 2021

January 2021

Sara, a qualified doctor from Syria, calls for people seeking asylum to be allowed to work so that they can help during the pandemic (starts at 20 minutes)

Paul Moss, The World Tonight, 8 January 2021

December 2020

Feminism and Refugee Women with Natasha Walter | ep 32

Compass, It’s Bloody Complicated podcast, 10 December 2020

Sarah’s story: a ‘nightmare’ she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemies

Amandas Ong, OpenDemocracy, 9 December 2020

October 2020

Our director Natasha Walter talks about our work to support and empower refugee women

Mariella Frostrup, Times Radio, 29 October 2020

UK’s immigration policies are threatening survivors of modern slavery

Maya Esslemont, Thompson Reuters, 18 October 2020

‘I Sleep on the Floor’: Refugee Women and Covid-19

Paris Ali-Pilling, Star and Crescent, 13 October 2020

September 2020

Starving asylum-seeker worked for free so she wasn’t homeless during pandemic

Jordan King, The Metro, 9 September 2020

August 2020

Refugee charities and organisations you can support from the UK

Lauren Geall, Stylist, 19 August 2020

Yarl’s Wood detainee recalls terrifying moment she was taken from her home and the nightmare that came next

Debbie Luxon, Cambridgeshire Live, 14 August 2020

Fundraisers & Organisations Supporting Refugees That You Can Back From The UK

Alice Broster and Sophie McEvoy, Bustle, 13 August 2020

Sisters Not Strangers coalition on the impact of COVID-19 on refugee & asylum-seeking women

Tchiyiwe Chihana, African Voices Platform, Sheffield Live TV, 5 August 2020

July 2020

Survey reveals betrayal of migrant women during covid

Priscilla Dudhia, Politics.co.uk, 23 July 2020

Loraine Mponela (CARAG) and Natasha Walter (Women for Refugee Women) on BBC Women’s Hour (available at 01:19)

Jane Garvey, BBC Radio 4, 20 July 2020

I’m an asylum seeker. Coronavirus is tearing apart my second chance at life

Nirbhaya (first-person), Huffington Post, 20 July 2020

Starving and sleeping on the streets: the reality of life for women seeking asylum in lockdown Britain

Maya Oppenheim, The Independent, 20 July 2020

Women seeking asylum left ‘without basic support’ during UK lockdown

Tobi Thomas, The Guardian, 20 July 2020

Home Birds – Natasha Walter and ‘Gloria’ tell stories of refugee women’s journeys from DR Congo to the UK

Brett Westwood, BBC Radio 4, 6 July 2020

June 2020

Organisations To Support During Refugee Week 2020 & Beyond

Alice Broster, Bustle, 18 June 2020

As a bisexual woman I had to escape my country or face the possibility of death

Ghaida (first-person), The Metro, 17 June 2020

Covid-19 Global Diaries: ‘I’m a refugee in London and people like me are dying’

Yetunde James (first-person), Marie Clare, 9 June 2020

May 2020

Coronavirus means people are relying on makeshift products to tackle their periods

Gabby Edlin, The Metro, 16 May 2020

Lost in the covid emergency: Migrant women escaping domestic violence blocked from help

Sian Norris, politics.co.uk, 13 May 2020

‘Give refugees temporary leave to remain during Covid-19 crisis’

Michael Savage, The Observer, 3 May 2020

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

Watch the coverage here

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

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

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

AUGUST 2014

Detainees paid pin money to paint, clean and serve food

Channel 4 News, 22 August 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