Scottish MPs/ Amnesty International/Refugee and Faith groups Voice Concerns over detention of families at Dungavel Removal/detention centre.

"It is not an appropriate setting for families and children who require school and education and a normal life" Shona Robison MSP

Robert Brown MSP, has spoken about the plight of the Ay children Beriwan (14), Newroz (13), Dilovan (12) and Medya (8), who are spending their 342nd day in detention at the centre. He has condemned the treatment of youngsters at the facility, insisting that the situation should not be tolerated in a civilised society.



"One of the features of our visit which we found still unsatisfactory is the length of time that people are being detained." Tommy Sheridan MSP




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MSPs' concerns over detention centre


BBC News Online Scotland Monday 23rd June 2003
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/1933701.stm

A group of MSPs have voiced concerns after visiting the controversial Dungavel detention centre in South Lanarkshire. The group spent three hours at the Dungavel centre
They were joined by representatives from the churches, Amnesty International and refugee groups as they examined conditions at
the facility.
The delegation also met some of the 40 inmates who staged a hunger strike at the centre last week.
As they left after more than three hours they said they still had anxieties over issues including the mental health of some detainees and the number of families being held.
Scotland Office minister George Foulkes visited the facility during the protest.


He defended the Dungavel centre, near Strathaven, and said he was satisfied detainees were being well cared for.

"Of course, individual detainees have grievances, which should and are being dealt with by the immigration service," he said.

"But that should not be used to denigrate the good work being done at the centre."
Call for action


However, the views of the MSPs who visited the centre on Tuesday conflicted with those of Mr Foulkes.

The group now intends to make a full report to the Home Office calling for urgent action.

Scottish National Party MSP Shona Robison said she was "really angry" that about half the people they had wanted to speak to were no longer at the centre.

"I want to know why that's the case," she said.
"It is not an appropriate setting for families and children who require school and education and a normal life" Shona Robison MSP


She said she had a "real concerns" over the mental health of some detainees.
And Ms Robinson was also concerned that 34 families were being held at Dungavel.



"I have spoken to those families and it is not an appropriate setting for families and children who require school and education and a normal life," she said.
Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan said: "One of the features of our visit which we found still unsatisfactory is the length
of time that people are being detained.

"We spoke to two detainees who had been in here for eight months without committing a crime.
"It is just not acceptable in 21st century Scotland."

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Pledge over child asylum seekers


BBC News Online Monday 23rd June 2003
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3012124.stm


Nevrooz and Beriwan are being held in Dungavel

Scotland's education minister has promised to listen to concerns about the plight of asylum seekers' children held at the Dungavel detention centre.

Liberal Democrat MSP Robert Brown has condemned the treatment of youngsters at the facility, insisting that the situation should not be tolerated in a civilised society.

Education Minister Peter Peacock has now agreed to meet Mr Brown to discuss the issue.

Mr Brown, who is the Scottish Parliament's education committee convenor, intervened in the debate over the treatment of asylum
seekers' children after learning of the plight of a 14-year-old girl.
Beriwan Ay, a 14-year-old Kurd from northern Iraq, her 11-year-old brother Dilovan and sisters Nevrooz, 12, and Medya, seven,
have been in Dungavel since last summer.

The family lived in Kent for four years before being transferred to Dungavel.

Mr Brown said it was wrong that children in their position were being isolated from the outside world and he has appealed for them to be given access to mainstream education.
He said: "I fail to see that there is a very convincing argument with regard to the children.

"They've been through enough, apart from any other considerations, to spend a good part of their teenage life behind bars, which is pretty much the position they are in at the moment."
Mr Peacock has stressed that immigration remains a matter reserved to Westminster but promised that if there are any legitimate
concerns the Scottish Executive will look at how it can take the issue forward with the Home Office.

Sally Daghlian, of the Scottish Refugee Council, condemned the detention of the children.
She said: "In Scotland, you're not allowed to lock somebody up who, for example, has committed murder, for more than 150 days without bringing them to trial and this family have been locked up for almost twice that length of time."

The UK Government has always stressed that children are only detained where there is a risk that their parents will abscond rather than face deportation.
Home Office Minister Lord Filkin rejected criticism of the Dungavel regime.

He said: "The issue really is, if families choose to protract every single effort to remove them, unfortunately the families have to be held in detention whilst that goes forward."

Dungavel was opened as a detention centre for asylum seekers in September 2001.
It is thought that about a quarter of the 80 people currently detained at the facility near Strathaven, in Lanarkshire, are children.


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