Two Children Detained Illegally at Yarl's Wood IRC
Nellie de jongh
"Children are not allowed to
be held in detention on their own. If children are being detained without
their parents then they should be released to the care of either their family
or social services. Furthermore, a referral to social services' Children and
Families Team/Child Protection Team should be made as a matter of urgency and
should not take days to be resolved." Jane Dykins, Head of the Children's
Section, Refugee Council.
Christian Lopo and Josee Manoka
were illegally detained in Yarl's Wood from Friday afternoon till Monday
afternoon. They were taken from the Yarl's Wood community on Friday midday and
kept in the medical centre in Yarl's Wood and supervised by the on site social
worker until Monday.
Home Office policy categorically states that children cannot be held in
detention on their own. Their father Paul Lopo who had been with them in
Yarl's Wood had been transferred to Colnbrook on Friday afternoon the children
at this stage should have been immediately taken into care by Bedford Social
Services.
Their detention has been unlawful and the children are entitled to sue the
Home Office.
These children are being 'kicked from pillar to post'
Christian will be six next
month and Josee is seven years old, both were detained upon entry to the UK,
in July 2004. They entered the UK with Paul Lopo the father of Christian and
legal guardian of Josee. Paul was immediately arrested and the children taken
into care of Hillingdon Social Services.
Paul was convicted of carrying false documents and facilitating illegal entry.
He spent eight months in prison and on completion of sentence was transferred
to Harmondsworth IRC then to Colnbrook. On the 6th June he was reunited with
Christian and Josee in Yarl's Wood IRC.
Christian and Josee, through no fault of their own, have known nothing but one
form of displacement or another; they were born to displaced parents. Two
years after arriving in the UK they continue to be displaced. Their homes in
the UK have been social services, foster care; Yarl's Wood IRC and now they
are in the care of Bedford Social Services.
Paul says he has lived in the UK for at least 18 years and has 12 other
children who all have British Citizenship.
Paul removed from Yarl's Wood for disruptive behaviour?
Paul's version of the reason he
has been separated from his children he says is because he has always
campaigned endlessly against detention in all three detention centres
especially Yarl's Wood. By helping to organise hunger strikes, petitions and
non-compliance, he said I am also being punished for daring to speak to the
media.
He also said: "as a parent I was doing the best I could for my children in
detention, as only a caged animal can do".
"He said I have served my sentence, I have lived in the UK for the past 18
years and have 12 children who all have British Citizenship, but my children
are being punished and have now had two birthdays, two Christmases without
me."
Sins of the fathers?
Here we have yet another two
children being punished for their parentage, they do not know what is a normal
and stable environment, in different ways they have both lost their mothers, I
find myself wondering if they were indeed to be deported which country would
they would be deported to as it seems clear that both children were refugees
in two different countries. Where will they go? Who will have them?
August 2006
> > home page > >