Detention
Women for Refugee Women campaigns to end UK immigration detention altogether.
Immigration detention in the UK is a Government practice that locks people up in prison-like conditions whilst their immigration status is resolved.
It causes extreme harm to refugee women and asylum-seeking women who are pursuing safety in the UK. In particular, it impacts their physical wellbeing and mental health.
Our ground-breaking research shows that the majority of detained women seeking asylum are survivors of rape and other forms of gender-based violence. This includes domestic violence, forced marriage, female genital cutting, and sexual exploitation.
There is no time limit on immigration detention in the UK, meaning refugee women are often locked up for weeks and months on end, with no idea of when they will be released. Locking up women who have already survived so much inflicts immense harm, and retraumatises them. Many experience anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal ideation.
Despite this, the Government continue to detain refugee women seeking safety in the UK. That’s why, since 2014, we have led our campaign for change to UK asylum policy.
As our End Detention group, for women with experience of detention, has said:
"Being detained is harmful and lonely. It affected us mentally and physically. It takes you away from your family, and kills your spirit. We are human beings, like everyone else."
We are campaigning to:
End the detention of women
We want to close UK detention centres – Derwentside and Yarl’s Wood.
Derwentside is currently the main detention centre for women. Yarl’s Wood, Colnbrook and Dungavel are detention centres with small units for women.
Increase alternatives to immigration detention
Increase the use of community-based, engagement-focused alternatives to UK immigration detention with an aim to resolve asylum and immigration cases in the community.
End UK immigration detention completely.
“When you come here to seek protection from abuse, exploitation and persecution but instead the Home Office locks you up, you wonder if you are in a good country or in hell. I am still living with the trauma of detention and I don’t want other women to go through this pain.”
– Agnes Tanoh, our Spokesperson Facilitator