The UK asylum accommodation system—a child safeguarding crisis and human rights failure

“There are a lot of children, they shouldn’t be here. They should be in a school, not prison.” So reads the note in a bottle that was thrown over the fence by a young girl to journalists and protesters at the Manston processing centre in early November.1 Her words provide insight into a system that is inflicting untold harm on children and young people who are already made vulnerable by the life experiences that have forced them to flee their home country and undertake dangerous and traumatic migration journeys.The United Nations Convention on the Rights of The Child outlines the responsibilities of signatory states to uphold the child’s right to protection, health, and education.2 The Borders, Citizenship, and Immigration Act 2009 requires the Home Office to carry out its responsibilities in a manner that accounts for the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the UK, and…
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