Women and Asylum

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Conference
2005 National Women's Conference
Date
20 October 2004
Decision
Carried

Conference notes the horrific experiences that many women have of the immigration process in the UK and the role that the Dungavel detention centre in South Lanarkshire has played.

Conference recognises that since the detention centre opened, over 100 children have been detained at the centre along with their families. This includes the Ay family who were detained in Dungavel for over a year before being deported to Germany. There have also been documented cases of women being punished for taking food out of the dining room to feed toddlers and women being restrained when accessing hospital treatment.

Conference applauds the efforts of the STUC Women’s Committee who have been campaigning for the closure of Dungavel and failing that ensuring that there are no children kept behind bars.

Conference believes that there is no place for Dungavel in the civilised society in which we live and condemns the Home Office for not only keeping it open but also extending it.

Conference instructs the National Women’s Committee to join the STUC Women’s Committee campaign to close Dungavel and to raise awareness of the campaign with women throughout the union.