UKBA fails to end child detention

United Kingdom, 18th October: The UK Border Agency has been accused of failing to abiding by the promise of ending detention of immigrant children.

As per the information, around 2,000 immigrant children are detained by the nation despite several pledges by the UK government to end such practices.

Hundreds of immigrant children detained by UK--Data revealed by a Freedom of Information request shows that around 700 immigrant children were detained in a short span of four months between May and August 2011 at south-east ports of the UK.

And many of such immigrant children were not accompanied by any adult. Highlighting the agony of immigrant children detained in the UK, chief executive of Children’s Society, Bob Reitemeier stated that it’s horrifying to see the excess number of immigrant children detained in south-east and it’s a shame that the UK government has failed to keep up its promise to restrict such detentions to the minimum.

Government fails to keep up its promise--Immigrant children are being held without any monitoring by the UK Home Office with regard to their age and the duration of their detention as well as the reason for their detention, Reitemeier lamented.

It’s becoming a cause of serious concern and putting question marks on the commitment of the government to put detention of immigrant children to an end in the UK, he claimed. Many times, Deputy PM Nick Clegg has asserted to scrap such a poor practice, but this is yet to become a reality.

He has also called the detention of innocent immigrant children as a moral outrage and announced to close the Yarl’s Wood detention center’s family unit in July. Policy director at the Children’s Society Enver Solomon said the alarmingly high figures raise serious concerns urging the need for immediate investigations by the UK Home Office.

There was a risk of detaining immigrant children who had been victims of child trafficking, warned Solomon. The UK government must ensure to restrict the detention of immigrant children both at entry ports as well as pre-deportation at the minimum level, he asserted.

Immigrant children at detention centers, even if detained for a short period of time, can face extreme distress, states Bail for Immigration Detainees while adding that the appalling conditions at facilities have already been labeled as unsuitable for children by prisons inspector.