29 July 2013

“I started to go mad in there“: The detention of pregnant asylum seekers

The Home Office has no clear and functioning mechanism in place to record women’s pregnancies and review their detention in light of it. Pregnant women who have been detained in facilities like Yarl's Wood report receiving abysmal treatment, done in our n

By Alan White

Samantha’s voice quivers with rage when she says these words. “It was hell. I can’t lie to you. I can’t lie.”

She fled to England from Africa, where she says she was persecuted, tortured and arrested in her home country on the basis of her political opinions and her role in strike actions. Two policemen raped her and threatened to kill her, and her husband was murdered in front of her.