Image by William Hammon via Creative Commons
Female migrants are some of the most vulnerable people within the United Kingdom today and this is for several reasons. For one, in the United Kingdom their physical safety and security is almost entirely reliant upon the actions and decisions of others.[1] It has been shown that 88% of female migrants have their immigration status listed as “dependent” upon a family member or other sponsor.[2] This makes them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. They are also less likely to understand their rights or how to access essential services like legal representation or healthcare due to language barriers or an unfamiliarity with the UK system.[3] They receive little support when they arrive in the United Kingdom to counteract their vulnerability, and even less empathy from the system set up to manage their migration, refugee or asylum applications.
The newly assented Illegal Migration Act presents danger to these very vulnerable women by removing them from the United Kingdom with no interest in their status as a victim of modern slavery, and by failing to provide appropriate safeguards for their health and wellbeing within detention centres. As stories from women within the migration system have shown, far more than any statistic could, the reality of the way the United Kingdom is failing to respect the rights and humanity of migrants. Within this article we break down several first hand accounts of the refugee rehabilitation and resettlement systems in the UK. Joy and Lucy’s stories speak of medical negligence and mistreatment at Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre. Katya’s story will show the risks of deporting vulnerable women, particularly where they have been trafficked from their home country. Ana’s story shows how migrant women can be abused through their uncertain status and the increased adversity they face when attempting to leave their abusers. Migrant women in the UK everyday face abuse, trauma, and ignorance, and have been silenced. Their stories are heartbreaking, but not unique, and this is why the United Kingdom must focus on accountability for mistreatment, improving support systems for victims of trafficking and abuse, and increasing legal and social safety nets for migrant women.
The International Organisation for Migration sets out several ways in which a migrant can be made vulnerable including trafficking, violence, exploitation, abuse, abduction and forced labour or sexual acts.[4] Women are amongst the most vulnerable migrant groups with women and girls making up 71% of trafficked victims[5] and 54% of these trafficking cases are those in which women or girls are being sexually exploited.[6] Female migrants tend to face severe psychological effects due to their exposure to sexual violence, domestic servitude and forced marriage.[7] The British Red Cross has noted several ways to aid migrants who are survivors of modern slavery and abuse, these include personalised and needs based support, mental and emotional support, timely access to settled housing and the need for more secure immigration status’, amongst others.[8]
The government of the United Kingdom on the other hand has not chosen to implement these ideals and has instead created an uncomfortable and criminalising atmosphere for migrants who arrive in the UK, despite their vulnerabilities. It is commonplace for migrants who have entered the UK through unsanctioned routes, including through human trafficking to be imprisoned within an immigration detention centre.[9] News headlines concerning these centres are illuminating as to the conditions which migrants are subjected to. They speak of unacceptable conditions which are prison-like in nature.[10] This atmosphere has been exacerbated through the use of ‘punishments such as solitary confinement’.[11] There has also been reports of abusive behaviour toward detainees including sexual harassment.[12] These factors amongst others have been said to cause prevalent self harm amongst detainees.[13] Many shocking stories come from Yarl’s Wood, a migrant detention centre in Bedford, England. In a recent inquiry it was found that 41% of detainees felt unsafe[14] and the atmosphere was described as “intimidating”[15] due to the installation of razor wire, prison style doors and vented windows.[16]
Joy’s Story[17]
Joy, a previous detainee within Yarl’s Wood detention centre was able to share her story through the initiative “Write to Life”.[18] This initiative was championed by the Group Freedom from Torture and has been working with survivors of human rights abuses for over 25 years.[19] The initiative encourages members to write about their experiences and share them with the public, this is intended to be therapeutic for survivors and to provide an opportunity for the public to gain insight into the reality of human rights abuses present in these institutions.[20] Joy had escaped imprisonment and torture within her home country but before applying for asylum in the United Kingdom, she was then detained within Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre. On one occasion Joy recalled her young roommate being forcibly removed from their room during the night in order to be deported, this was traumatic for Joy and caused her a great deal of fear for her own safety. Joy then became ill; she could not eat for five days and became increasingly unwell. Instead of ensuring that she was given medical attention, staff reprimanded her for vomiting outside her room. When she was eventually seen by a doctor, Joy was taken to hospital and was too afraid to tell the clinicians what had happened and why she had not been given medical attention sooner. Joy left Yarl’s Wood but lived in fear of being sent back there for many years. The lack of medical intervention and care provided to Joy shows the inability of detention centres to respect human rights, to demonstrate empathy, and to provide a safe environment for migrants.
The Group Detention Action alongside the King’s Arms Project have researched a smaller, more humane, community-based alternative to detention programmes, they named it the Refugee and Migrant Advice Service.[21] The Refugee and Migrant Advice Service has been proven to be two thirds more cost effective than a detention centre, and also resulted in 80% of clients being offered viable options to regularise their immigration status.[22] The project’s success has been attributed to a support worker being assigned to each participant, this support worker acts as an advocate for that person, ensuring that they have their emotional and practical needs met as well as voicing particular issues to statutory and non-statutory bodies where necessary.[23] This is particularly useful to those who are survivors of human trafficking or abuse. Support workers would be trauma informed and would be able to find the appropriate psychological and emotional support while ensuring effective and comprehensive communication between the different agencies which deal with survivors.[24] The introduction of a system like this one would mean that migrants within the United Kingdom would be able to access information in their preferred language, have support in a complex process, and for female migrants in particular, be able to increase their own knowledge of the migration system, lessening their reliance on others and improving their safety.[25] Projects like this one may have saved Joy from a great deal of pain and suffering and allowed her to feel heard by the system and safe.
Lucy’s story further demonstrates the need for systems like the Refugee and Migrant Advice Service. Advocacy can save lives, this was the case for Lucy.
Lucy’s Story[26]
Lucy was 23 years old when she fled her home country after falling pregnant due to a gang rape. She was detained within Yarl’s Wood detention centre while five months pregnant. Lucy had complications during her pregnancy, but her complaints were dismissed by staff and she was not taken for her 20 week scan until later in her pregnancy, a recurring issue which has been previously identified within Yarl’s Wood[27] (Women for Refugee Women #). Her solicitor had to intervene in order to have her taken to a nearby hospital. She was released from the detention centre after a month, but no provision had been made for somewhere for her to stay and her and her baby’s asylum status remain uncertain.
This lack of medical attention can be extremely detrimental to pregnant migrants. Yarl’s Wood held 99 pregnant women in 2014 alone, 30 of these women were held for between one and three months, and four of them were detained for between three and six months. It was found that during this period these women often missed vital antenatal appointments.[28] They did not have direct access to a midwife and also were at an increased likelihood of stress, which is dangerous for them and their unborn children.[29] In a report on the conditions of Yarl’s Wood in 2011, it was found that only one female GP served the centre, and this was only one day per week.[30] The issue remained the same in 2013 when the centre was surveyed by Medical Justice, with one female GP being available for two appointments per week.[31] It was even found during this research that alarmingly, the staff at Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre were unaware of how many pregnant women they had within the centre.[32] The healthcare notes were inconsistent, and it was unclear as to whether they had received welfare checks throughout their pregnancies on time or at all.[33]
Both Joy and Lucy’s stories show the immense pain and suffering caused by simply ignoring the concerns of migrant women. It has been reported that staff within detention centres believe that migrants may feign being ill in order to strengthen their case for asylum, and this has caused stigma against those who request medical assistance.[34] This attitude by staff is causing major hardship and danger to migrant women, which could be alleviated if they were provided with advocacy services which target these issues and ensure that the individual needs of migrants, based on their individual situations, are met.
The situation remains dangerous for migrant women who are living outwith the detention centres in the UK. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 has included exclusionary and discriminatory protections against domestic abuse which are inaccessible for migrant survivors.[35] The government chose not to implement reforms which were suggested to protect migrant women.[36] This is despite migrant women being at a heightened risk of domestic violence as a result of the increased insecurity that the immigrant status brings in the UK.[37] The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 allocates an extremely small level of recourse to public funds which could be used to help them to escape dangerous domestic abuse situations[38] The following story demonstrates the risk of domestic abuse present in the lives of migrant women, and the lack of support provided by the UK government.
Ana’s Story[39]
Ana came to the UK while fleeing violence from Latin America, in 2017, she moved in with her partner. When Ana fell pregnant, her partner became physically aggressive and demanded that she have an abortion. He threatened to report her to immigration enforcement if she did not, using her fear of deportation and her insecure immigration status in an attempt to coerce her. When the pandemic hit, Ana was forced to stay with her abuser during the lockdown due to a lack of public funding allocated to provide her with a safe place to live. Ana later did escape her abuser and now lives in temporary accommodation with no access to public funding. She lives with the bare minimum resources and in fear of deportation or homelessness.
During Covid-19 the rate of domestic abuse increased and there was a high demand for domestic abuse services to allow people to report their abuse and escape their homes.[40] An emergency refuge was run by the Southall Black Sisters and Solace in partnership in order to try to bridge the gap between domestic abuse services and the increased number of people who needed them.[41] The Southhall Black Sisters/Solace Refuge relies upon public funding in order to provide a safe space for women when they flee their abusers. Under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, migrant women within the United Kingdom are not eligible for publicly funded domestic abuse services. 42] This meant that migrant women were often unable to secure a place in refuges like this one, which prevented them from being able to flee domestic abuse situations safely.[43] If Ana had been provided with more access to public resources, she may have been able to leave sooner and may have had a better chance at finding better accommodation for herself and her child.
Migrant survivors of trafficking and sexual abuse also suffer at the hands of an uncaring system through deportation despite their status as a victim. The International Organisation for Migration speaks of the risk or deportation that victims of trafficking face, stating that it “limits the survivor’s ability to report trafficking and to access assistance, this exacerbates the vulnerability of victims, giving traffickers more control over them and deepening risks of further exploitation”.[44] The Illegal Migration Bill 2023 introduces a duty on the Home Secretary to remove anyone who has arrived in the UK irregularly, including victims of human trafficking and modern slavery. They will either be returned home or to another safe country” as is stated by the Illegal Migration Bill Factsheet.[45] The dangers of deportations like those sanctioned by the Illegal Migration Bill 2023 have been shown in other cases such as in Katya’s story which follows.
Katya’s Story[46]
In 2007, 18 year old Katya was brought to the UK from Moldova. She was forced to work in a London brothel, afraid to ask for help or speak to the clients or other women at the brothel for fear that the trafficker’s threats to harm her family would become a reality. When the brothel was raided by the police she was arrested for her involvement with prostitution, throughout her time in custody she did not feel that she could tell them of her enslavement due to her fear of the traffickers. Despite being aware that she was likely a trafficking victim, the police allowed her traffickers to visit her nine times while she was in custody. They were able to intimidate her and maintain her silence as a result. Officials later found evidence of her trafficking but did not deem this reason enough not to deport her back to Moldova. She was found by her traffickers when she was deported and subjected to rape, beatings, and they also forced her to dig her own grave. After being re-trafficked several times, Katya has now been granted asylum in the United Kingdom and is finally safe.
The Red Cross have concluded research relating to the new STEP system which would be used to identify modern slavery victims and other vulnerable migrants and provide them advocacy support and access to public funding. Within this study, the Red Cross investigated the experiences and outcomes related to the current system of migrant assessment, the National Referral Mechanism. This mechanism has been shown to deny some vulnerable migrants from accessing housing, legal aid or the ability to open a bank account. Using these experiences, they then made recommendations on the needs of vulnerable modern slavery survivor migrants. These recommendations included independence focused support, this would build on the skills and knowledge already held by the migrant and help them to make informed decisions and to advocate for themselves.[47] This may include helping them to understand their rights, create their own asylum applications and prevent them from having to rely on others for stability. For those who have experienced trauma and abuse, independence and empowerment is one way to ensure that they feel safe and in control of their lives. Helping women like Katya to advocate for their own needs and request the support that they are entitled to can make a huge difference to their lives and may save them from further exploitation. This is why recommendations like the Refugee and Migrant Support Service and STEP are so important, they provide a lifeline to women like Lucy, Joy, Katya and Ana and allow them to speak for themselves, become independent, and helping to ensure that they are not silenced and ignored in their time of need.
In the instance a migrant cannot be deported to their country of origin, the Illegal Migration Act 2021 allows them to be deported to a third “safe country”.[48] One of these “safe countries” named by the current Conservative government is Rwanda, located in central Africa. One of the documents outlining the reasons for such a finding is the Policy Statement entitled “Safety of Rwanda” published by the Home Office in January of this year.[49] The policy consideration notes that upon arrival in Rwanda, those who entered the UK through irregular routes would be provided with “a safe environment to start their new lives, with education, employment, accommodation and integration support”.[50] However, there are several elements which show that this statement is almost entirely without merit. Firstly, both the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and United Kingdom Government Officials have raised concerns about extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody, enforced disappearances, torture and constraints on political and media freedoms.[51] Secondly, four Rwandan migrants were granted UK refugee status due to “well founded” fears of persecution during the Supreme Court’s consideration on the safety of Rwanda.[52] These do not appear to be hallmarks of a safe country in which migrants could settle and live safe lives, free from human rights abuses and discrimination.
When considering women’s rights in Rwanda, 60.6% of indicators, needed to monitor the sustainable development goals relating to women, were unavailable for consideration, showing a lack of research and information into women’s lives in Rwanda.[53] Sex workers and transgender women are also at an increased risk of arbitrary detention.[54] In a particular incident in 2002, dozens of gay, transgender people and sex workers were detained before a high-profile conference[55], the detainees were told that they “did not represent Rwandan values” as the reason for their detention.[56] Rwanda cannot be regarded as a safe space for those who enter the UK via illegal routes, to suggest this to be the case is to disregard the human rights, dignity and marginalisation of these vulnerable people, particularly those from the LGBTQI+ community and those involved in sex work. Deportation to a country like Rwanda could open vulnerable migrant women up to further abuse, persecution and danger.
Joy, Lucy, Katya and Anna are just four women who have experienced an extreme level of trauma and suffering at the hands of an asylum. 20,405 women made applications for asylum within the UK in 2022, we can only imagine how many of those women have stories similar to these.[57] Detention Centres like Yarl’s Wood appear to have lost their sense of humanity toward migrants. and as a result have created a system which deports women to unsafe territories and allows them to be silenced. The system ignores sickness and assumes that migrants are being manipulative when they seek medical attention, and does not provide safety from abuse to those who are at an increased risk. The Government has responded to the migration situation within the UK without empathy or interest in upholding its international obligations, and has suggested that Rwanda should be utilised to deport migrants who cannot go to their home country. Despite findings to the contrary, the government has insisted on Rwanda as a safe country and have therefore ignored the research and evidence of marginalisation and discrimination to which they would subject deported migrants. The only way forward for vulnerable female migrants is to end the Rwanda deportation scheme and hold those who have advocated for the scheme accountable for their attempts to breach international human rights. As the Conservative party government has now left Downing Street, we must hold the new government accountable during this opportunity for reform. Female migrants are in need of a system which allows them the safety and the support to advocate for their own needs, be aware of their rights, and to live independently with a secure status. This is why initiatives like the Refugee and Migrant Support Service, STEP, and ‘Write to Life’ must be implemented as much as possible within the United Kingdom. Not only are they more cost effective and better at producing results, but they also provide invaluable trauma informed support for female migrants, providing them with safety, security and most importantly, empowerment.
Works Cited
[1] Sara Reis (2020) Migrant Women and the Economy, A Report from the Women’s Benefit Group. Available Here
[2] ibid
[3] ibid
[4] International Organisation for Migration - The Determinants of Migrant Vulnerability. Available Here
[5] The Inter-Agency Coordination Group Against Trafficking in PersonsThe Gender Dimensions of Human Trafficking, Issue Brief 4. Available Here
[6] ibid
[7] ibid
[8] British Red Cross, Hestia, Ashiana (2019) Hope for the Future, Support for Survivors of Trafficking After the National Referral Mechanism. UK Integration Plot- Evaluation and Policy Report. Available Here
[9] The Migration Observatory (2022) Immigration Detention in the UK, The University of Oxford
[10] Associated Press (2023) UK Inquiry finds Migrants Awaiting Deportation are Kept in “prison like” Conditions at a Detention Centre, PBS News Hour. Available Here
[11] Katherine Hearst, (2023) UK: Detainees Put in Solitary Confinement After Protesting Against Conditions at Immigration Centre, Middle East Eye. Available Here
[12] Holly Bancroft, (2023), Migrants Sexually Harassed and Injured in Unsafe Home Office Detention Centre, The Independent. Available Here
[13] Diane Taylor (2023) Self Harm Incident Nearly Every Day in UK Immigration Detention, The Guardian. Available Here
[14] Criminal Justice prison Inspectorate (2023) Yarl’s Wood- Worrying Decline in Safety for Detainees Held in Prison-Like Conditions. Available Here
[15] ibid
[16] ibid
[17] Freedom from Torture (2019) Welcome to Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre: A Survivor’s Story This Refugee Week. Available Here
[18] ibid
[19] Freedom from Torture- Write to Life, Who We Are. Available Here
[20] ibid
[21] Detention Action (2023) Alternatives to Detention. Available Here
[22] ibid
[23] Detention Action (2023)- Community Support Project. Available Here
[24] British Red Cross, Hestia, Ashiana (2019) Hope for the Future, Support for Survivors of Trafficking After the National Referral Mechanism. UK Integration Plot- Evaluation and Policy Report. Available Here
[25] ibid
[26] Sarah Graham (2016) Detention is no Place for Pregnant Women” Women for Refugee Women. Available Here
[27] Aliya Mirza (2019), Women for Refugee Women, Pregnant Women Behind Bars, A briefing on the Detention of Pregnant Women in the UK. Available Here
[28] ibid
[29] ibid
[30] ibid
[31] ibid
[32] ibid
[33] ibid
[34] ibid
[35] Solace. The Domestic Abuse Act. Available Here
[36] ibid
[37] ibid
[38] ibid
[39] Ana’s story was told by End Violence Against Women in their publication The Domestic Abuse Bill: Migrant Women Left Behind. Available Here
[40] ibid
[41] ibid
[42] ibid
[43] ibid
[44] UK “Illegal Migration Bill” Exacerbates Risks for Survivors of Modern Slavery (2023) International Organisation for Migration, News Global. Available Here
[45] Home Office Policy Paper (2023) Illegal Migration Bill: Modern Slavery Factsheet. Available Here
[46] Amelia Gentleman (2011) Katya’s Story: Trafficked to the UK, Sent Home to Torture, The Guardian. Available Here
[47] ibid
[48] Home Office Policy Paper (2023) Illegal Migration Bill: Modern Slavery Factsheet. Available Here
[49] Safety of Rwanda (2024) (Asylum and Immigration) Bill Policy Statement. Available Here
[50] ibid
[51] Ronnie Clancy KC (2024) Rwanda is a Safe Country for Asylum Seekers- Really? Scottish Legal News. Available Here
[52] Jon Ungoed-Thomas and Anthony Barnett (2024) Revealed: UK Granted Asylum to Rwandan Refugees While Arguing Country was Safe – The Guardian. Available Here
[53] Rwanda, Women Count (2023) UN Women. Available Here
[54] Rainbow Migration (2022) Rwanda is not Safe for LGBTQI+ People. Available Here
[55] ibid
[56] ibid
[57] Asylum Information Database, European Council on Refugees and Exiles (2023) Statistics United Kingdom. Available Here
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