Last Monday 2nd March, Channel 4 news screened disturbing footage from an undercover investigation into Yarl’s Wood immigration detention centre in Bedfordshire, England. Staff were filmed referring to the asylum-seeking and migrant women held there as "animals", "beasties" and "b**ches." In one case, a detainee threw herself down a staircase, apparently attempting to kill herself to avoid being forcibly removed from the UK. Channel 4 continued to screen fresh footage from detention centres throughout the week.
By now, many of the women referred to in the film will have been forced onto planes by Home Office contracted staff, and will be facing an uncertain future in the countries they’ve been returned to. Others remain in detention, held without time limit.
Channel 4’s revelations are all the more disturbing when one considers the extreme vulnerability of women in Yarl’s Wood. A recent study found that 40% of the female detainees surveyed had self-harmed. They included survivors of rape, forced marriage, forced prostitution and female genital mutilation. Research shows that people in detention can experience severe distress, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
