End to child detention written into UK law
End to child detention written into UK law
On May 14th 2014, Citizens UK saw its first ever national win being written into UK law, as the Immigration Act received Royal Assent. This reflects the progress that the government has made since 2010 in ending the practice of locking up innocent children with their families in removal centres such as Yarl’s Wood. Prior to 2010, over a thousand such children a year were being detained in prison-like conditions.
We led the campaign to end the detention of children for immigration purposes because it directly affected our communities At the start of the campaign in 2009, there were 30 families from my own Ugandan community who were detained - today there are none.
Barbara Nalumu, Citizens UK Leader
The legislation itself, and a briefing by Home Secretary Theresa May explaining its implications, can be read here .
To learn more about the campaign and hear Barbara's own story, watch this video: