Chris Mullin’s EDM Goes Live – 400+ sign No10 petition – New report shows detention harms children’s health
MPs John Battle, Peter Bottomley, Mark Durkan, Fabian Hamilton, Lynne Jones and Sarah Teather are among the first to sign early day motion 1982 in the name of Chris Mullin calling for an end to the detention of children. Parliamentary support is expected to grow over the coming days as MPs respond to the dozens of appeals from the ecdn campaign team and supporters across the country.
Within less than two weeks the No10 petition demanding a halt to child detention has reached 400 including actor Colin Firth and film maker Livia Firth and the actress Emma Thompson.
Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID) published a hard hitting medical report picked up the the Guardian and Independent today (13 October) that of 24 children examined by a team of doctors at Yarl’s Wood Immigraton Removal Centre the majority were experiencing mental and physical health difficulties.
BID reports Dr Ann Lorek, author and Consultant Paediatrician at the Mary Sheridan Centre for Child Health, Lambeth Community Health as commenting: “Our study contains evidence that children in detention have worsening physical and mental health, and express worrying levels of trauma and sickness, despite well intentioned staff. They are locked up with family members for indefinite periods of time, often on several occasions. As doctors, we ask for safeguards to protect these vulnerable children from further harm in detention.”
