- Conference
- 2007 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 19 January 2007
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes the issue of immigration and asylum management is becoming even more of an issue for vulnerable children. As Black people we are disproportionately affected by all of the aspects of the ‘race’ motivated government approach to immigration and asylum.
These children have committed no crime but are held behind locked doors and high barbed wire fences. Five years ago it was rare for families and children to be detained for immigration purposes. Now, members of the No Place for a Child coalition have documented detentions lasting anything from 7 to 268 days.
Conference believes detaining these children is wrong – regardless of the merits of a family’s asylum case.
Why detention is wrong:
·children can be held for long periods of time. One child was held for 268 days;
·children feel that they are being punished and do not understand why. Many are left traumatised by the experience with a negative impact on their health, well-being and education;
·detention can be particularly traumatic for families who have already fled from conflict and torture in their own country to seek safety in the United Kingdom (UK);.
·the UK government’s use of detention for children and families is in contravention of international human rights standards.
The No Place for a Child coalition demands that the UK government:
·ends the detention of these vulnerable children and babies;
·pilot more viable alternatives to detention, examples of which can be found in other countries.
What Black members can do:
·lobby the Home Secretary and your MP;
·raise the issue with branch International Officers and seek support from branch committees;
·raise the issue with your Regional Black Members Committee as a potential campaign;
·seek support from your Regional International Committee.
Conference asks that the National Black Members’ Committee (NBMC):
1)raise this issue with the NEC and national International structures to lobby the Government, relevant governmental departments, Liberty and Save the Children;
2)explore how to work with the National Women’s Committee as a joint Black women and children’s issue;
3)seek to support and work with the ‘No Place for a Child’ campaign across all 12 regions.