Children Seeking Sanctuary shouldn't be in prison

Jacquie Bell, Parliamentary candidate for Stockton South, has called for an immediate halt to the detention of children whose parents' asylum claims have been rejected.

Jacquie spoke in favour of the motion on the subject at the Liberal Democrat spring conference last week:

"5 year old twins taken with their mum, without notice, to a place of detention where they will be separated from belongings, fingerprinted and photographed. Traumatic for anyone but for children.?

Hitler's Germany? Stalin's Russia? No - Brown's Britain last week when Joshua and Joel still in school uniform were taken into detention as their mum signed in at a Glasgow Immigration Centre. Only a few miles from the Prime minister's Constituency. Mum was not trying to flee - shed escaped an abusive husband and mother in law in Nigeria but they were treated as a threat to national security.

In 2004 Conference passed my amendment to care for the education and welfare of children and young people seeking sanctuary but the system continues. In 2008-9 103 children were detained at Dungavel with over 1000 children detained in centres across the UK.

I've been to Dungavel where the twins were taken. It was then a prison - not a place of safety. A place of high walls and barbed wire.

Across the UK many groups call out for detention to cease. The Scottish Refugee Council have welcomed this motion. The Scottish Government have long opposed the detention of children. A Cross Party Group on the matter is the oldest at Holyrood. However, it is a reserved matter. The Home Office actively instructs its staff NOT to deal with MSPs and MPs may be discouraged from intervening and delaying the process. The Immigration Minister has more power than the Director of Public Prosecutions and senior judges have in detaining uncharged terrorists in custody.

Some time ago the Scottish Government thought they saw light at the end of the tunnel as detention at Dungavel was limited to 72 hours. However, this means that children and young people are rapidly moved to Yarl's Wood in Bedfordshire - miles away from lawyers and community supports. They are often missing belongings and important documents like records of health care and vaccination. Children are documented as being traumatised by the experience. Education and welfare should be paramount but education at Yarl's Wood is known to be unsatisfactory with staff not knowing the children's learning needs on arrival.

A report by the Children's Commissioner in February 2010 highlighted the manner of detention of small children - often in separate vehicles to their parents. He called for detention to cease.

There are some glimmers of hope. In July a pilot Guardianship project run by the Scottish Refugee Council and Aberlour Child Care Trust funded by the lottery and Scottish Government will start to use Independent Advocates to support unaccompanied children and young people , a number of whom who have been trafficked to the UK, through the complex process of seeking refuge in the UK.

Conference - we need to treat children and young people seeking sanctuary in the UK with dignity and compassion and seek to maintain their welfare and education - not compound the damage and trauma they have already been through by treating them as criminals.

Conference - as Liberal Democrats entering this election campaign period we are offering a fair and just society - for our own citizens but also for those who seek sanctuary amongst us in these islands.

Please support the motion."