Women on Hunger Strike, behind the Wire @ Yarl's Wood

"Detention results from political decisions that represent a "hardening attitude towards irregular migrants and asylum seekers" (*PACE)

End the Detention of Foreign Nationals Now!

Since the 5th of February 2010, we the residents at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre are on hunger strike which involves over 84 + women, who are protesting against the period of time spent in detention and the treatment that they receive while being detained.

The strike was sparked to protest and demand that the frustration and humiliation of all foreign nationals ends now.

We are demanding the following actions

*End the frustrations, physical and mental torture at the centre

*Allow enough time and make resources available to residents who need to fully present their cases.

*To end all false allegations and misrepresentations by the UKBA regarding detainees in order to refuse bail or temporary admissions.

*Access to appropriate medical treatment and care as in the community, access to edible and well cooked food, phones with good mobile connections, with camera and recording facilities to back up cases.

*To stop the forceful removal and degrading system of deportation of detainees

*To put law into practise, European rules governing standard of conditions of detention for migrants and asylum seekers and the length of time in detention.

*The abolition of detention for asylum seeker and torture victims

*Detention should be by a standard procedure prescribed by law, authorised by judicial authority and be subjected to periodic judicial reviews.

*To end the detention of children and their mothers, rape survivors and other torture victims, to end the detention of physically, mentally sick people and pregnant women for long period of time.

*To end the separation of children from their mothers being detained whether in detention or destitution.

*To end the detention of women detention after serving time in prison.

* To abolish the fast track system, in order to give asylum seekers a fair chance with their application, while understanding the particular needs of victims of torture, and access to reliable legal representation which the fast track system denies.

*To end the repeat detention of women granted temporary admission while reporting or signing after a short period out of detention.

*To a set period of time allowed to detain women, which should be no longer than 1 month, while waiting decision either from UKBA or court proceedings.

*Finally instead of detention of foreign nationals, there are alternatives to detention stated by the *Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). 'The detention of asylum seekers and irregular migrants in Europe ', Adopted on the 28th January 2010, extracts below.

9.1.1. detention of asylum seekers and irregular migrants shall be exceptional and only used after first reviewing all other alternatives and finding that there is no effective alternative;

9.3.4.1. placement in special establishments (open or semi-open);

9.3.4.2. registration and reporting;

9.3.4.3. release on bail/surety;

9.3.4.4. controlled release to individuals, family members, NGOs, religious organisations, or others;

9.3.4.5. handover of travel and other documents, release combined with appointment of a special worker;

Full Text: Council of Europe - Parliamentary Assembly Resolution 1707 (2010)1. Assembly debate on 28 January 2010 (7th Sitting) (see Doc. 12105, report of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population, rapporteur: Mrs Mendon�a). Text adopted by the Assembly on 28 January 2010 (7th Sitting).

The detention of asylum seekers and irregular migrants in Europe

Please support our concerns, lobby your MPs, Councilors, MEPs, demanding our immediate release and an end to arbitrary detention.

With Thanks,

Women behind the Wire @ Yarl's Wood IRC

Messages of support/solidarity to:
WomenBehindTheWire@ncadc.org.uk

Decriminalise migration, Commissioner Hammarberg

''Criminalising the irregular entry and presence of migrants in Europe corrodes established international law principles and causes many human tragedies without achieving its purpose of genuine control'' said the Commissioner for Human Rights, presenting on 4 February in Brussels an Issue Paper on this topic.

''I have observed with increasing concern this trend as part of a policy of migration management'' he said. ''States have a legitimate interest to control their borders, but criminalisation is a disproportionate measure which causes further stigmatisation and marginalisation of migrants. Immigration offences should remain administrative in nature.''

This Issue Paper builds upon these concerns and examines systematically the human rights implications of the criminalisation of migration in Europe. It analyses the external border crossing, migrants' residence and protection of their social rights including employment, as well as asylum and detention.

It concludes with a number of recommendations to Council of Europe member states, as a starting point to ensure the correct intersection of human rights standards and the treatment of foreign nationals.

The full text is available on the Commissioner's web-site:

Asylum seekers should not be detained solely on the basis of lodging a claim for asylum, nor for their illegal entry or presence in the country where they lodge a claim for asylum

Detention should be used only if less intrusive measures have been tried and found insufficient.

New Council of Europe resolution on the detention of migrants in Europe
1 February 2010 -- The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution on the detention of asylum seekers and irregular migrants in Europe. The resolution, adopted on 28 January, states in no unclear terms that detention results from political decisions that represent a "hardening attitude towards irregular migrants and asylum seekers".

The resolution goes on to criticise the overpopulation of detention centres, and the deterioration of conditions and safeguards for asylum seekers and irregular migrants alike. The resolution states that the "conditions and safeguards afforded to immigration detainees who have committed no crime are often worse than those of criminal detainees." Elsewhere, the resolution criticises the European Union's adoption of the so-called Returns Directive, for adopting the "lowest common standard in regard to detention length."

The centerpiece of the resolution is its adoption of "10 Guiding Principles Governing the Circumstances in which the Detention of Asylum Seekers and Irregular Migrants may be legally permissible", and "15 European Rules Governing Minimum Standards of Conditions".

Council of Europe - Parliamentary Assembly

The detention of asylum seekers and irregular migrants in Europe

Resolution 1707 (2010)1

1. The detention of asylum seekers and irregular migrants in Council of Europe member states has increased substantially in recent years. Whilst the cause of this increase is in part due to the growing number of arrivals of irregular migrants and asylum seekers in certain parts of Europe, it is also to a large extent due to policy and political decisions resulting from a hardening attitude towards irregular migrants and asylum seekers.

2. Overcrowding in detention centres is a serious problem. As population pushes up against capacity, states are building more and bigger centres. However if they build more, they fill more, often to justify the expenditure. Yet this does not necessarily translate into better conditions for the persons detained. Furthermore, alternative facilities, which are inappropriate for detaining asylum seekers and irregular migrants belonging to this group, such as police stations, prisons, disused army barracks, hotels, mobile containers, etc. are also being used in order to detain growing numbers of persons.

3. Whilst it is universally accepted that detention must be used only as a last resort, it is increasingly used as a first response and also as a deterrent. This results in mass and needless detention. The Parliamentary Assembly is concerned by this excessive use of detention and the long list of serious problems which arise as a result and which are regularly highlighted, not only by Council of Europe human rights monitoring bodies such as the European Court of Human Rights, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, the Human Rights Commissioner and the Assembly’s Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population, but also by other international and national organisations.

4. Conditions and safeguards afforded to immigration detainees who have committed no crime are often worse than those of criminal detainees. Conditions can be appalling (dirty, unsanitary, lack of beds, clothing and food, lack of sufficient health care, etc.) and the regime is often inappropriate or almost entirely absent (activities, education, access to the outside and fresh air). Furthermore, provision for the needs of vulnerable persons is often insufficient and allegations of ill-treatment, violence and abuse by officials persist. This all has a negative impact on the mental and physical well-being of persons detained both during and after detention.