The UK Border Agency (UKBA) Code of Practice on Children will not adequately protect children from the harm caused by immigration procedures. The new Code of Practice for Keeping Children Safe from Harm, unveiled by the UK Border Agency on 6 January, was met with scepticism by refugee groups and practitioners. The Code follows the
Theme: Violence and harassment
Queen’s Speech brings gloom for migrants
This is a revised version of the article posted on the IRR website on 5 December 2008. The government’s proposals to strengthen border controls are set to further dehumanise immigration law and make a merry mess of the path to citizenship. The Queen’s Speech at the state opening of parliament on 3 December referred briefly
Hope for Zimbabwean asylum seekers
There is new hope for Zimbabwean asylum seekers following a legal judgement on the risks of returning Zimbabweans to potential persecution and to a desperate humanitarian situation. For years, the situation in Zimbabwe has been at crisis point, both politically and in simple humanitarian terms. Mugabe and his ZANU-PF war veteran cronies have bullied, harassed
Pulling the Woolas over our eyes?
What exactly do the immigration minister’s recent statements quoted in the press reveal? According to Phil Woolas, he is trying to atone for Labour’s sin – stifling public debate on immigration. We have to stop the immigration issue being swept under the carpet and talk about it say Phil Woolas, Frank Field and Margaret Hodge.
Grinding down the human rights defenders
The IRR’s European Race Bulletin examines the criminalisation of solidarity and protest. The extended feature article in the latest issue of the European Race Bulletin (No 65, Autumn 2008) documents both the increasing resistance against the inhuman treatment of asylum seekers across Europe and European governments’ further criminalisation of solidarity and protest. Building on an
The Irish dimension to the case against ID cards
A new briefing paper from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on the British National Identity Scheme highlights the dangers of the ID cards project. Ever since the government proposed in 2005 the introduction of a national identity card scheme, civil liberties, human rights and anti-racist groups, and international NGOs have raised powerful and cogent
Families united in grief
On Saturday 25 October, over 300 people marched on Downing Street to remind the Prime Minister about the number of deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody. In the tenth annual march organised by the United Families and Friends Campaign (UFFC), the demonstrators, mainly family members and the friends of those who have died, marched
Charities call on government to turn ‘rhetoric into reality’
Leading UK charities have called on the government to act upon its promise of ending its discriminatory treatment of children seeking asylum. On 22 September, Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, announced that the government would remove its immigration reservation on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.[1] This reservation, which the UK entered
How are thinktanks shaping the political agenda on Muslims in Britain?
Policy Exchange, the Social Affairs Unit and the Centre for Social Cohesion are driving the political agenda on Muslims in Britain while thinktanks on the left are largely silent. Over the last two months, a number of writers, journalists and policymakers associated with the Policy Exchange (PX) thinktank have taken up key positions on Boris
Victory for Southall Black Sisters
On 18 July at the High Court, Southall Black Sisters (SBS) won a major victory against Ealing Council which had cut funding for its services for BME women suffering from domestic violence. The Court found that the council failed to pay proper regard to equality legislation, in particular the Race Relations Act, when making its