Yarl's Wood Befrienders

YWB’s submission to the UN Special Rapporteur

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:24:58 +0000

Immigration detention is the theme of the first report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants. The upcoming thematic report on immigration detention will be presented at the 20th session of the Council, scheduled for June 2012.

Submissions from NGO’s are being sought which focus on the special needs and protection concerns of vulnerable groups of migrants.

Yarl’s Wood Befrienders’s submission can be viewed here

Gill Butler 1942 – 2012

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:04:59 +0000

Gill was one of the longest-standing members of the Befrienders and an inspirational trustee and Chair. She will be remembered for her tireless human-rights work and as an “adoptive mother” to many women and families who she visited over the years at Yarl’s Wood.

Gill’s legacy lies not only in the strength of the Befrienders, which grew and developed enormously during her years as Chair, but also in her work with Medical Justice, where she put her medical background to such practical use in defending the rights of vulnerable detainees. Many of those she has supported had undergone mental and physical torture in their home countries, as well as suffering here in the UK. Her warmth, compassion and humour, combined with a passionate drive to advocate for those she knew to be at risk, made her a source of strength and comfort to those she supported.

She not only visited detainees while they were at Yarl’s Wood, but also took several into her home after they were released, some for substantial lengths of time. She remained in close contact with many others and the number of former-detainees attending her funeral bore testimony to the fact that, to many, Gill will always be known as Mum.

For more tributes to Gill, please follow these links:

Guardian Newspaper

Institute of Race Relations

Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees

HMIP report published

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:21:05 +0000

Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons, Nick Hardwick, published his report on Yarl’s Wood yesterday. The report can be found at the Ministry of Justice website here.

YWB makes submission to the Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights

admin — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:17:43 +0000

According to the United Nations, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is “a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 192 UN Member States once every four years. The UPR is a State-driven process, under the auspices of the Human Rights Council, which provides the opportunity for each State to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfil their human rights obligations.”

Yarl’s Wood Befrienders, along with other groups supporting immigration detainees, have sent a submission outlining some of their concerns. You can read the submission here: Universal Periodic Review – Yarls Wood Befrienders

Three Counties Radio: 10 years of Yarl’s Wood

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:24:12 +0000

On Friday 18th November, Three Counties Radio ran a feature on Yarl’s Wood, which has now been open for 10 years. You can listen to part of that feature here, including interviews with MP for North Bedfordshire, Alistair Burt, and our very own coordinator, Heather Jones. In his interview, Mr Burt gives a special mention to the work of the Befrienders.

10 YEARS OF YARL’S WOOD