22nd December 2009

Outrageous treatment of a child

Since Child M’s release from detention on 8th December 2009, the Child M Campaign has learnt that Child M was held for a period of 8 hours on his own by detaining officers on the day of the family’s detention.

This outrageous situation arose when Child M’s mother collapsed at the family home as they were being detained. When detaining officers were unable to stabilise her condition themselves, they called for an ambulance. Child M’s mother was then taken to hospital in Manchester along with Child M’s elder brother to act as an interpreter.

Child M was left on his own with detaining officers. After remaining at home for a short while, he was taken to the hospital in a vehicle. He was held in the vehicle outside the hospital for a period of several hours.

During the time he spent alone with the deteining officers, Child M was questionned about his sisters’ whereabouts.

It is unjustifiable to hold a child, alone, with no adult whose job it is to represent his interests. The fact that he was held for such a long period in a vehicle beggars belief. Our understaning is that it is also illegal to question a child without a responsible adult with them.

REPORT in the Guardian here

8th December 2009
They are out!

Dear all,

Child M and his family have been released from detention tonight after 3 weeks in Yarls Wood. No reason has been given. They are on their way home to Manchester.

A massive thank you to everyone who's helped in the past few weeks from all of us involved in the Child M campaign.

This is a great result. The campaign for their right to remain in the UK continues.

We'll update the website as soon as more details become available.

With very best wishes,
Emma
on behalf of Child M Campaign

4th December 2009
Child M campaign meets Phil Woolas

Representatives from the Child M Campaign met with Phil Woolas tonight, Friday 4th December 2009, at his constituency office in Oldham.

Teachers from Child M’s school, neighbours, friends and school friends held a candlelit vigil outside and were invited in to speak to Mr Woolas.

Mr Woolas was handed an open letter asking for Child M and his family to be released and given leave to remain in the UK signed by, amongst others, Baroness Haleh Afshar, Michael Rosen and Professor Ted Cantle OBE.

Teachers from Child M’s school expressed their deep concerns about the effect of continued detention on Child M’s mental health and well being.

Mr Woolas was also handed a poster made and signed by Child M’s friends at school asking for their friend to be allowed to come home.

Phil Woolas was asked to intervene immediately to release Child M and his family from detention and to secure their right to remain in the UK.

Mr Woolas agreed to:
· “request the family’s file and have a look at it”
· speak again with Sir Gerald Kaufman (the MP for Gorton North who intervened to prevent their deportation)
· to consider the request to release the family.

Child M’s family’s fresh evidence was yesterday rejected by the UK Border Agency.

Representatives from the Child M Campaign asked for his personal guarantee that the family would not be removed immediately. The campaign were given assurances that the deportation of the family is not imminent.

The campaign looks forward to a swift response from Mr Woolas in the early part of next week.

We remain deeply concerned for the welfare of Child M and his family and look forward to welcoming them back to Manchester.

Ist December 2009
CHILD M PLEA

We continue to be extremely concerned for the welfare of Child M whilst he is being detained. He is showing concerning signs of deterioration in his mental health.

Child M is a 9 year old boy. He and his family are facing deportation to Iran where they face certain persecution. They are currently being held in Yarls Wood Immigration Removal Centre, where they spent 52 days in the summer of 2008.

Thank you very much to those people who have already responded to our email. We value everyone’s support and really appreciate your interest.

Here is a letter that we're sending to the press demanding Child M's immediate release. The first people to sign are Michael Rosen and Baronness Haleh Afshar. We need to get as many people to sign as possible to ensure the safety of Child M and his family.

If you have not managed to contact us so far please email us a response in support of the attached letter which we will then forward to the HHome Secretary. Please email us yes by Thursday at 6.00

If there is any other way you could help please contact us.

Please find legal statement and background document we've been sending out from the Child M campaign this week. The documents give some background that people will find helpful.

All the evidence available to us at the moment suggests that imprisonment at Yarls Wood is having a very damaging effect on Child M and his family. We need to act to get him and his family released immediately.
Many Thanks

Child M Campaign

21st November 2009
Deportation halted
- the campaign continues
We were advised just before the flight deadline last night that the family of Child M has been returned to Yarl's Wood and the deportation abandoned for the time being. We are continuing to press for the full release as a nine year old child is being locked up in a detention centre, which is utterly inhumane.

BMI was deluged with calls and there was widespread lobbying of Gerald Kaufman that we want to continue. People can also contact the Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, to make their views on bundling children on to planes quite clear. We also contacted the national and local press and received considerable interest in a very short time. This helped to focus the minds of the Home Office and BMI.

Thank you to yourself and everyone who has acted on Child M's behalf.

We will need to do so again.

17th November 2009
EMERGENCY

Child M and his family were detained at their home on Tuesday morning by immigration officers. They have been taken to Yarls Wood Immigration Removal Centre. They are due to be deported to Iran on Friday 20th November (I think the flight is Heathrow to Tehran, dept time 18.30).

Their lawyers submitted a new asylum claim yesterday and should hear this morning whether it's been accepted by the Home Office as a fresh claim. The are fairly confident it will be as the arrest warrant for Child M's mum has been authenticated by an expert witness. Should they not be successful, their barrister will seek an injunction from a high court judge halting their removal.

Gerald Kaufman - the family's MP, agreed to speak to the Home Secretary about their situation. I have just heard from his parliamentary office that he's done this and is following it up today.

It seems likely The Guardian will run the story in Friday's paper.

The family's home office reference number is G1158044.

Any other ideas?
Details of contacts / workers / airline staff at Heathrow who we could contact if none of the above works?

Child M Campaign

Who is Child M?

Child "M" (who can’t be named for legal reasons) is aged 8. He is here in the UK with his mum, brother and sister. They face persecution if they are returned to Iran - they are accused of circulating Salman Rushdie's book ‘The Satanic Verses’.

The British government has refused their asylum claim and tried to deport them - most recently locking-up the whole family in a detention centre - for 51 days! They have just been released and allowed to return to Manchester.

There have been recent reports in the press highlighting the harmful effects of detention on children. Detention can, “significantly impair a child’s mental and physical health,” (BID Report into the Detention of Children, March 2008). The Children’s Commissioner called it, “an inhuman process,” (Children’s Commissioner, September 08). Home Office guidance says that children should not be detained in this way.

The family is making challenges in the High Court - but it is not enough to put their faith in the law. So they have started a campaign - "Child "M" Must Stay!". Download a leaflet here.

Child “M” and his family must not be removed from Britain and returned to Iran. It will be too dangerous for them.

 


Lobby of Phil Woolas - 4th December 2009


 CHILD M VIGIL - Manchester 27th November

What Can You Do?

Sign the petition - download a copy here

We need to collect thousands of signatures. Make sure you’ve signed it! Take a copy and collect signatures yourself – they can be returned to the Campaign address below.

Sign the online petition here

Write to the Home Secretary

This is one of the best ways you can help the campaign. In it you need to:
- include Home Office reference numbers: G1158044, G1158044/2 and G1158044/7
- ask for the whole family to be given leave to remain
- say why Child “M” and his family would be in danger if they are sent back to Iran
- express concern at how Child “M” and his family have been treated
- send it to the Home Secretary, Home Office, 2 Marsham Street London, SW1P 4DF.

Child M on Facebook
CLICK HERE

"Child M, like the many other minors detained by the UK authorities in a clear breach of their human rights, has committed no offence - other than being born in a country which seeks to deny freedom of speech, then coming with his family to the UK where they believed their rights would be upheld. An immigration centre is no place for a child and the Green Party is calling on the Home Office to immediately end its policy of incarcerating innocent young people, as well as to allow Child M and his family to remain in the UK."
Caroline Lucas MEP