LGBTQI+ people risk verbal and physical harm and are not protected by staff
A new report authored by Dr Laura Harvey of the University of Brighton published with the support of Rainbow Migration finds that LGBTQI+ people are at serious risk of suffering verbal and physical harm in immigration detention in the UK.
The 23-page report, LGBTQI+ people's experiences of immigration detention: A pilot study, can be downloaded here.
The report is based on interviews with five members of the LGBTQI+ community with experiences of being held in immigration detention. All were fleeing persecution on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Four of the participants were held in an immigration removal centre (IRC) in the UK for several months, while one person was held in a short-term holding facility for several days.
In short, Dr Laura Harvey's study echoes the findings of Rainbow Migration's earlier 2016 report No safe refuge (published when Rainbow Migration was known as UKLGIG). Detention continues to be a very dangerous environment for LGBTQI+ people.
The report states: "The majority of participants faced discrimination or abuse while held in detention. Three participants were victims of direct verbal homophobic bullying, and two participants experienced attempted physical attacks from other people who were detained. Two participants were forced to share a room, which was locked overnight, with someone who subjected them to homophobic bullying, with one participant enduring repeated threats of violence culminating in a physical attack in their room."
There were also some negative experiences with staff in IRCs. Two participants reported verbal mistreatment from staff, with one participant describing homophobic abuse from detention officers that left him feeling ashamed and upset. Some participants also reported being afraid to report instances of homophobic abuse to staff, and inaction or slow action from staff to address threats from other people held in detention.
The accounts of verbal and physical abuse, together with fears about revealing LGBTQI+ status, highlight the specific issues that LGBTQI+ people can face in detention.
Dr Harvey said: "These findings suggest that being confined in immigration detention continues to be unsafe for LGBTQI+ people. The risk of harm is particularly acute for LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum, as many people fleeing persecution on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression have already experienced significant trauma related to homophobic, biphobic and transphobic violence."
More generally, the report highlights the negative impact of immigration detention on a person's mental health.
Dr Harvey notes that it is well-documented that LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum often experience serious mental health problems and trauma, and detention can retraumatise and worsen mental health. For some people the experience of detention also resembled past traumatic experiences and was therefore profoundly distressing.
The report adds: "Lack of adequate and timely mental health support was also an issue for participants, and in one case seriously impacted their asylum claim. […] Most participants reported that it was difficult to find LGBTQI-specific support and advice, even in cases where they were able to access more general welfare support in the detention centre."
Harvey concludes that her findings suggest that all LGBTQI+ people are at particular risk of harm in immigration detention and should be included within the Home Office's 'Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention' policy.
Rainbow Migration's Executive Director, Leila Zadeh, said: "We have long argued that all LGBQ+ people should also be considered at risk in detention – a recommendation supported by the Home Affairs Select Committee in 2019. We have also been part of a wider movement calling for a 28-day time limit on all immigration detention, as the UK remains the only country in Europe where people can be deprived of their freedom indefinitely for immigration purposes. The initial findings in this report show that these calls remain as urgent as ever. LGBTQI+ people being detained for more than 6 months while suffering verbal and physical abuse is unacceptable and should be unthinkable in a country that prides itself on promoting human rights and LGBTQI+ equality."