Home Office ‘adults at risk’ policy could reduce safeguards for survivors of torture
Today (Monday), MPs in the House of Commons debate the Immigration Bill. Hidden in this vast, complex bill is a section which should be about improving protection for vulnerable people in detention, but could instead make the situation for survivors of torture even worse.
The bill amendment requires the Home Secretary to produce guidance on the immigration detention of vulnerable people - called an ‘Adults at Risk’ policy. Freedom from Torture is deeply concerned about this policy because it could actually weaken current standards protecting vulnerable people. We are especially worried that one of the most important safeguards, requiring release from detention of those accepted by Freedom from Torture for forensic assessment, is not even mentioned at all.
At Freedom from Torture, we know that significant numbers of torture survivors are detained, even though the Home Office says this should only happen in ‘very exceptional circumstances’. The proposed policy may make this situation even worse by removing this important ‘test’. In 2015, 234 suspected survivors of torture were referred to us from immigration detention.
Lucy Gregg, Freedom from Torture’s Senior Policy Advisor, said:
“Detention is categorically unsafe for survivors of torture because it heightens their trauma from unimaginable cruelty in cells in other parts of the world. Rules to protect survivors from immigration detention need to be strengthened not reduced.
“It would be a tragic irony if the Shaw Review led to new policies making detention of vulnerable people more instead of less likely. We need an assurance from the Minister that this will not be the case and that he will preserve the safeguard triggering release of people accepted for forensic assessment by our doctors.”
