Undercover at Yarl's Wood - the Inhumane Treatment of Women

The treatment of detainees inside the notorious Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre is revealed in exclusive footage obtained by a Channel 4 News investigation.



The Channel 4 News investigation reveals:

Numerous incidents of self-harm
Questions over standards of healthcare
Guards showing contempt for detainees

Yarl's Wood, which holds nearly 400 detainees, is the UK's most secretive immigration detention centre. It has been plagued by damning accusations about the behaviour of guards since it opened in 2001.

Cameras have never been allowed inside. Even the United Nations special rapporteur for violence against women was barred entry.

Headbutt the b***h. I'd beat her up. Yarl's Wood staff

But on Monday evening Channel 4 News will reveal footage shot undercover inside the facility over a period of months.

The management of Yarl's Wood has been outsourced to Serco since 2007. The company has always robustly rebutted allegations of sexual abuse and degrading treatment that have emerged from behind the facility's high fences and barbed wire.

Serco says its focus is "decency and respect" for the "residents" of Yarl's Wood. The Channel 4 News investigation suggests a different reality for the mostly female detainees. Most of them are failed asylum seekers who have committed no crime.

As a result of the allegations, the Home Office has ordered "thorough and immediate investigations into all matters raised by this programme" and told Channel 4 News that they "will not hesitate to take whatever action we think appropriate in response."

Serco have also said that former barrister Kate Lampard will "carry out an independent review into our work at Yarl's Wood" in response to the investigation.

"We will not tolerate poor conduct or disrespect and will take disciplinary action wherever appropriate", they said in a statement.
'They're all animals'

Staff at Yarl's Wood are filmed referring to the detention centre's inmates as "animals", "beasties" and "b**ches".

"Headbutt the b**ch", one guard says. "I'd beat her up".

A guard is also filmed commenting: "They're animals. They're beasties. They're all animals. Caged animals. Take a stick with you and beat them up. Right?

Let them slash their wrists. Yarl's Wood staff

Guidance from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons says staff at detention facilities must "promote a respectful and safe environment".

It says a healthy detention facility is one where: "Staff address women using their preferred name or title and never use insulting nicknames or derogatory or impersonal terms."

In addition to this, the strain on the staff could increase further as a result of government cuts, as 68 guards will be made redundant at Yarl's Wood.

Channel 4 News put this to Serco, who say that "the new structure that we are putting in place will provide sufficient operational staff to cater fully for the needs of residents."
Health care at Yarl's Wood

Standards of health care at the immigration detention centre are also brought into the spotlight.

Holding pregnant women is one of the most controversial aspects of the government's detention policy and they are only supposed to be detained if their removal is imminent.

The investigation heard about a pregnant woman who had collapsed in the facility's dining hall and was taken to hospital.

"They said she was bleeding" one officer says. Later in the conversation another adds: "The technical thing is no concerns were raised."

Channel 4 News learnt the woman went back to the hospital the next day and was told she had miscarried her baby. She was sent back to the detention centre.

Early the next morning the woman returned to the Yarl's Wood healthcare suite, which is sub-contracted to another private company, G4S. She was bleeding, highly distressed and desperate to be sent back to hospital.

Serco documents seen by Channel 4 News say the woman was "spoken to" because she was "refusing to wait her turn" and tried to ring the ambulance service.

G4S told Channel 4 News the woman was offered pain killers and told to come back two hours later to see the doctor.

She did not attend this appointment – instead, three and a half hours after she first visited the health care suite, staff called an ambulance.

G4S told Channel 4 News: "While this resident's miscarriage was understandably a deeply distressing experience for her personally, she received an excellent standard of clinical care from both G4S medical staff and the pregnancy unit at the local NHS hospital."
Guidance on detention

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons guidance says detention facilities must make sure: "pregnant women and those caring for children in prison are fully supported throughout their time at the prison by appropriately trained staff."

On health care it states the aim that: "Women are cared for by a health service that assesses and meets their health needs while in prison and which promotes continuity of health and social care on release.

"The standard of health service provided is equivalent to that which women could expect to receive elsewhere in the community."
'Attention seeking'

On February 24 of this year the Home Office Minister Lord Bates told Parliament that there had been no serious incidents of self-harm at Yarl's Wood in the past two years.

When asked how many "suicides or serious attempts at self-harm" there had been in the centre in the past two years, he said: "the answer is, fortunately, none."

However, Channel 4 News has obtained figures through the Freedom of Information Act that show there were 74 separate incidents of self-harm requiring medical treatment in 2013 alone.

The details of these incidents have never been disclosed, but an officer is recorded saying: "They are all slashing their wrists apparently. Let them slash their wrists."

Another officer asks why the women would self-harm. The first officer responds "It's attention seeking".

Inmates are also reported to have jumped from a stairwell in the detention centre -- with one breaking her back.

Guidance from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons dictates that "the prison provides a safe and secure environment which reduces the risk of self-harm and suicide."

It says detention facilities should ensure: "vulnerable women are identified at an early stage and given the necessary support."
'Then I jumped'

Channel 4 News interviewed Esther Izigwe. who was released from Yarl's Wood at the end of January.

She had suffered years of sexual violence as a teenager in Ghana before fleeing to the UK. Already struggling with depression, she says her mental health deteriorated badly in detention. When guards said they were about to remove her by force to send her home she was desperate.

She says: "I started running then they started chasing me then she was like 'Esther please we need to go' and I was like 'I'm not going, I don't want to go'. Then she said 'you need to go' and then I stood by the stairs.

"I said 'if you come near me I will jump'. And then she still came and then I said 'one more step I will jump' and then she still tried to come in and then I jumped."
"We take all incidents extremely seriously"

In response to the investigation's findings on self-harm in Yarl's Wood, Serco said: "We work hard to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all the vulnerable people in our care and last year the number of incidents of self-harm decreased.

"All incidents of self-harm are treated extremely seriously and any resident who self-harms is seen by a nurse, regardless of the severity of the act.

"In the last eight years, there have been three occasions when residents attempted to self-harm on stairs. We take all such incidents extremely seriously and on each occasion a thorough review was undertaken and actions taken with the individuals to prevent them repeating attempts at self-harm.

"As part of these reviews the option of placing nets or barriers was considered but rejected as they would not be effective in preventing acts of self-harm."

In response to Channel 4 News' claim that there was a lack of empathy among guards for detainees who self-harmed, Serco said: "We expect the highest standards of behaviour from all our staff at all times.

"The vast majority of our employees consistently meet these standards and I am proud of the work that they do."

"Nevertheless, we recognise that there are rare occasions when those standards have not been met by a few individuals.

"This is always unacceptable and when it is proven to have happened we take swift and appropriate disciplinary action."
Official response:

In response to Channel 4 News' findings, a Home Office Spokesman said:

"The dignity and welfare of all those in our care is of the utmost importance -- we will accept nothing but the highest standards from companies employed to manage the detention estate.

"Last month, the Home Secretary commissioned an independent review of detainees' welfare to be conducted by former prisons ombudsman Stephen Shaw, but these are clearly very serious and disturbing allegations which merit immediate scrutiny.

"Serco has already suspended one member of staff. We expect Serco and G4S to conduct thorough and immediate investigations into all matters raised by this programme, and we will not hesitate to take whatever action we think appropriate in response.

"All of our detention centres are part of a regular and rigorous inspection regime operated by Her Majesty's Inspector of Prisons. Lapses in standards, when they are identified, are dealt with swiftly and effectively.

"A sense of fairness must always be at the heart of our immigration system - including for those we are removing from the UK."

In response to the investigation as a whole, Serco said: "We will not tolerate poor conduct or disrespect and will take disciplinary action wherever appropriate.

"We work hard to ensure that the highest standards of conduct are maintained at Yarl's Wood and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons has found the Centre to be a safe and respectful place.

"We are conscious that we are working in a particularly challenging environment at Yarl's Wood, looking after 300 women detained during the final stages of their removal proceedings.

"The public will want to be confident that Yarl's Wood is doing its difficult task with professionalism, care and humanity.

"Accordingly, we have asked Kate Lampard, who has immense experience and credibility, to carry out an independent review into our work at Yarl's Wood."

http://www.channel4.com/news/yarls-wood-immigration-removal-detention-centre-investigation

Theresa May stopped the UN Human Rights investigor from entering Yarl's Wood two days ago, even though it had been cleared with the Prison Authority and she was accommpanied by one of them. She said it was of “deep concern” that she was not allowed in “as if there was nothing to hide I should have been given access.” She added: “It’s part of the terms of references when mandate-holders are invited to a country that they should be given unrestricted access and this didn’t happen.” (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/un-human-rights-investigator-denied-access-to-yarls-wood-immigration-centre-9262941.html)

This is what is going on, the Government is the reason it is going on. For years inmates have smuggled out letters complaining of rape, beating and women dying. Last month Christine Case died of a heart attack and letters have come out saying guards refused to get her help.

Theresa May was questioned about it in HOC this afternoon. Well, she would have been, but like all cowardly Cabinet Ministers when something turns up that makes them look the evil bastards they are, she sent a deputy:

Theresa May 'allowed state-sanctioned abuse of women' at Yarl's Wood

Shadow home secretary criticises minister after TV documentary alleges rape and self-harm at detention centre were ignored



Theresa May, the home secretary, has been accused of allowing the “state-sponsored abuse of women” at the Yarl’s Wood detention centre after a Channel 4 investigation uncovered guards ignoring self-harm and referring to inmates in racist terms.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said it was a “disgrace” that May had refused to come to the House of Commons to answer an urgent question about the mistreatment of detainees, sending a junior minister instead.

She also laid into the home secretary for last November extending the contract for Serco to run Yarl’s Wood, despite allegations about abuse, sexual exploitation, rape and self-harm at the centre in Bedfordshire.

She told the Commons: “There is no point in ministers pretending to be shocked at news of abuse. This is not news. Even now, the ministers have not set up an independent inquiry. Serco has … This is state-sanctioned abuse of women on the home secretary’s watch and it needs to end now.”

The three-month undercover investigation by Channel 4 news filmed Serco guards describing various detainees as “black bitch”, “animals”, “beasties” and “evil”. At one point a guard was filmed commenting: “They are all slashing their wrists, apparently. Let them slash their wrists ... It’s attention-seeking.”

Karen Bradley, the junior minister responding for the government, said May was dealing with the serious issue of child abuse at a summit at No 10. She said the government took the allegations about Yarl’s Wood “very seriously” but had found no evidence anybody was at risk.

She said the Home Office had requested that guards employed by Serco wear body cameras to record their actions. “Detention is an important part of a firm but fair immigration system,” Bradley added. “It is right those with no right to remain in the UK are returned to their home country if they will not leave voluntarily. But a sense of fairness must always be at the heart of our immigration system, including for those we are removing from the UK. That is why the allegations made by Channel 4 about Serco staff at Yarl’s Wood are serious and deeply concerning.

“It is why they required an immediate response to address them and it is why the government has ensured this is being done.”

However, her answers did not appear to satisfy MPs, including several on her own backbench who lined up to demand changes at Yarl’s Wood.

Alistair Burt, a Conservative former Foreign Office minister and member for North East Bedfordshire, urged the government to consider allowing “proper journalistic access and transparency” to Yarl’s Wood.

Richard Fuller, the Tory MP for Bedford, said the use of detention in immigration cases was “costly, ineffective and unjust” as well as being a “stain on the conscience of this country”. He asked: “When will the two front benches wake up and smell the coffee?”

Julian Huppert, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge, said people were at risk of harm in Yarl’s Wood, calling it a “disgrace under the last government and a disgrace now”.

Keith Vaz, chairman of the home affairs select committee, who secured the urgent question, called for all of Serco’s contracts to be reviewed and said the government needed to look at its procurement process. The Labour MP said: “This treatment is inhumane … We simply can’t allow this behaviour to continue in a centre which has a duty to protect.”

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/03/yarls-wood-may-state-sanctioned-abuse-women

So do I gather that no-one gives a fuck that women are being raped, beated and left to die in Yarl's Wood by Serco, who have just had their contract renewed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Absolutely disgusting traetment. No human beings should ever be subjected to treatment and conditions like that. We had a report recently that here in Scotland we also had terrible treatment of asylum seekers mainly for the length of time they were detained but nothing like what is reported in that article.

Shameful.

I agree, the fact that this Government knew about it and STILL renewed Serco's contract and would not let the UN person in, shows how they don't give a damn.  I truly hope one day they suffer as much.

risingsun wrote:I agree, the fact that this Government knew about it and STILL renewed Serco's contract and would not let the UN person in, shows how they don't give a damn.  I truly hope one day they suffer as much.

The tops guys are covered they always are, they will have a few fall guys that will take the brunt...

Being realistic, the most guilty of all these criminal cases unfolding, at worst for them it will be only be their history that will be tarnished. There will be chosen few that will remain protected, even after their death's. It may be many years or maybe even forever.
It feels so bad knowing these sickbags will go to their graves and beyond unpunished. For some time now I have stopped respecting people purely on the fact they are medical pro's or have been pushed on us through films, news and what ever. Now I want to know, who they are, why they were there and what real life parts did they really play.

Bet they had their fall guys planed out a long time ago. Who is behind Serco's?

I don't know who is behind Serco Jane, because they are world wide and have their fingers in so many pies.

It's sickening isn't it.

Why was Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Rashida Manjoo, barred from Yarl's Wood by the Home Office when she tried to investigate complaints about the centre as part of her fact-finding mission into violence against women in the UK.

That is ridiculous and it's time the government came up with some answers on what is going on and why Serco were awarded a new contract.