Refugee and Migrant Justice goes into administration- Demonstrate Against Likely Closure of Refugee and Migrant Justice – Defend Legal Aid Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ)

Demonstrate Against Likely Closure of Refugee and Migrant Justice – Defend Legal Aid Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ), the largest provider of specialist legal advice for asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrants in England and Wales, went into administration on June 16 2010. This is a result of cuts in Legal Aid over recent years and changes in the way in which Legal Aid providers are paid. RMJ used to get paid monthly, but is now only paid after each case is closed – many cases last many months or even years. No charity can be expected to wait that long for payment and many law centres are finding it difficult to cope with the new payment system. Read more

BEDFORDSHIRE LOCAL SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN BOARD Publishes highly critical report

BEDFORDSHIRE LOCAL SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN BOARD
Publishes highly critical report today 14 JUNE 2010
Bedford LSCB 090610unprotected(2)

6. RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1 The review made detailed recommendations to all the participating agencies and to the Bedford Borough Council Local Safeguarding Children Board that have been accepted and each agency has produced an improvement plan to respond to the review. The high-level recommendations are below and form the basis for a multi-agency action plan, which is being monitored by all the LSCB partner agencies. Read more

UK plans Kabul ‘reintegration centre’ for boys

Save RMJ update

Dear All,   I’m just writing with a quick update on the progress of the Save RMJ campaign so far. First of all, many many thanks for you kind support. It really means a lot to everyone here that you have all offered your support.   Media:   RMJ’s plight has been fairly extensively covered in the media, both mainstream, and on blogs. After the initial coverage on Sunday, and in the week, after we released the joint letter that was so kindly signed by so many of you, and which managed to get coverage on the BBC, and Guardian, among many others, we have managed to keep up the momentum. Look out for more in the near future. We’re also starting to get more mentions on twitter:   Mainstream media:   End this inhumane and expensive asylum system
The Guardian Read more

Questions in Scottish Parliament

Scottish Parliament, 27 May 2010 – Children in Dungavel, and dawn raids
QUESTION: Linda Fabiani (Scottish National Party)

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought clarification from the UK Government that the pledge in its coalition agreement to end detention of children in Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre will be extended to ensure the ending of dawn raids in Scotland. Read more

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Addendum : Mission to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Extracts: Report submitted by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Jorge Bustamante, on his mission to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 22–26 June 2009

Publication Date 16 March 2010

Human Rights of migrants in UK – United Nations report
Report from the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants in includes some strong criticism, particularly around detention and children’s rights.

The Rapporteur highlights the disecepancies between UKBA policies and the reality for asylum seekers and migrants. For example,the New Asylum Model is said to offer “accelerated decision-making processes and increased contact with asylum-seekers without resorting to detention”, but the Rapporteur found many “cases of children, torture survivors and trafficked women who were detained while their asylum cases were being decided”, as well as “numerous allegations of instances of indefinite periods of detention of asylum-seekers” . Allegations acknowledged as true by UKBA officers.

The Rapporteur found that although the House of Commons stated in a report that 1,000 children in families are detained each year, stakeholders estimate that the figure is actually double that.

The Rapporteur also expresses concern about age-disputed cases. He “notes with dismay that this guidance relies excessively on subjective criteria, having as a consequence the possibility that minors could be considered as adults throughout the application process and detained on this basis.”

Click here to download the full report with recommendations, including that the UK stops detaining children. http://bit.ly/ cKE2uo Read more

Immigration: Detention of Children

Immigration: Detention of Children

Question

2 June 2010 3.29 pm

Asked by Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will end the detention of children for immigration purposes.

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville-Jones): My Lords, the Government are committed to ending the detention of children for immigration purposes. My honourable friend the Minister of State for Immigration is heading a review on the way forward, which aims to protect the welfare of children while ensuring the removal of those who have no right to be in the UK. He will set out the way forward as soon as possible: certainly in the coming weeks. Currently, I might add, there is one family with two children in immigration detention.

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that reply, and I welcome her to her new high ministerial office and wish her well for the future. When does she expect to be able to end child detention for immigration purposes? Does she not agree that it would be a signal success for the new Government if there could be an early announcement that ended the practice? Is there any chance of her being able to do that sensibly before the House rises for the Summer Recess? Read more

‘If asked, “Why am I a Quaker, how am I a Quaker?”, this is what I can say.’

Why?

I applied for membership when I felt convinced that being a Quaker is my spiritual home, and I stay with Quakers because it feels like home, a place where I can recharge myself.

I may not share all your beliefs, or yours or yours, but that is not a problem, in fact one of the things that I enjoy about being a Quaker is our diversity in belief. One of the benefits for me is that the hour that we spend in Meeting on a Sunday is probably one of the few times when I’m quiet, and when I open my mind to whatever comes rather than applying myself to a task. Two weeks ago in Meeting for Worship it came to me that the difference between awful and awe-ful is the magic ‘e’ – the energy we find when we meet together that helps us move forward in the world.

How? Read more

Why RMJ are facing closure – The government must ensure asylum seekers receive good-quality legal representation before more families suffer

End this ‘inhumane and expensive’ asylum system

The government must ensure asylum seekers receive good-quality legal representation before more families suffer

My organisation, Refugee and Migrant Justice, is the largest specialist provider of legal representation to asylum seekers and the victims of trafficking. We are facing possible closure because of the last government’s mistakes.

The new government has an opportunity to make Britain’s asylum system fairer, faster and more humane. Labour policies to clear backlogs, tighten borders, and appear “tough” have resulted in an expensive, inefficient and inhumane system in which children are routinely locked up and many genuine cases turned down, only to be accepted at appeal – a costly process wasting money for the taxpayer. Read more

Urgent appeal for support from Refugee and Migrant Justice

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