ICAR

A crying shame: Pregnant asylum seekers and their babies in detention

Author: Cutler, S; McCleish, J; Stancer, C

Author Organisation: Bail for Immigration Detainees [BID], Maternity Alliance, London Detainee Support Group

Date: 2002

Summary

Aims

The main aim of this paper is to highlight the specific problems associated with the detention of pregnant women, new mothers and babies.

Methodology

The study consisted of in-depth, unstructured interviews with four women. The interviewees were recruited by convenience sampling [they were all in touch with BID]. Three women were pregnant and two had babies. The interviews were carried out in English and French. 

Key findings

Some of the main key findings are:

• Women in detention often find themselves unable to challenge their detention effectively and unable to attract the attention of the outside world to assist them
• As a result of being detained while pregnant or with a baby, the women who took part in this study suffered enormous emotional and psychological distress and serious physical discomfort
• The main problems experienced by the interviewees included having to cope alone with pain and sickness, getting unreliable medical care with only ad hoc liaison with external maternity services, absence of interpreters, and dealing with fluctuating access to basic necessities such as baby milk and nappies 

Recommendations

The paper makes recommendations for action by the Home Office and the Immigration Service based on the findings of this study and on the experience of organisations working with immigration detainees. These include the following:

• 'the use of prolonged detention for pregnant women and mothers with young children inflicts harm wholly disproportionate to the policy aim of effective immigration control, and should be stopped immediately'
• 'alternatives to detention, such as regular reporting, should be used where there are evidence-based concerns about an individual absconding'
• ''where brief detention [a few days] of pregnant women and mothers with young children is genuinely unavoidable, no woman or baby should be detained in a place where the physical conditions [including food] or medical care are inadequate'
• the Home Office should give guidance on what precisely the 'exceptional circumstances'� are which justify detention of pregnant women

Title Information:

N/A

Web Link: www.biduk.org/pdf/res_reports/a_crying_shame_colour_version.pdf