'UK mustn't lock up child refugees like I was when I arrived on my own' plea
A former refugee who came to the UK as an unaccompanied child today pleads with MPs to throw out cruel plans that could have seen him locked up indefinitely on arrival.
Ali Ghaderi said children should not be punished and put in "prison" for seeking safety, and warned of the devastating psychological toll detaining youngsters will have.
Ali, who fled religious and political persecution in his native Iran, told The Mirror that in his experience the UK is a kinder country than the Illegal Migration Bill would suggest. He called on politicians to vote it down.
The campaigner, who arrived in the UK five years ago, said: "The journey was difficult, it was terrifying because of what I'd seen and what I'd been through, what happened to me and my friends.
"I can't imagine going through all these things and then going to a detention centre. Imagine you're going through a lot and then you're put in prison as a child. This is against humanity to put children in detention just for seeking safety.
Woman who fled dangerous Iran watched 16 people drown in dinghy disaster
"They haven't committed any crime, they're just trying to survive. There are no safe routes, punishment isn't the best way. Children are innocent, they're victims of people who are in power."
More than 150 charities, faith leaders and health organisations have written to the PM (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)The Commons is set to discuss the detention of children, which is proposed in Suella Braverman's controversial Illegal Migration Bill today, and Ali hopes MPs stand against it.
Last week peers in the House of Lords voted to keep legal caps on how long pregnant women and children can be held - which the Government wants to scrap. It sets up a bitter clash between ministers and backbenchers who want to see changes to the draconian bill, which is part of Mr Sunak's desperate bid to stop small boats.
Ali - who has been in the UK for around five years - said it would be a backward step to bring in the "horrible" legislation, stating: "We're giving them an unwelcoming message, I think that will affect their mental health."
He said the bill is at odds with the wider British public. Ali, who founded the Babylon Project - a creative arts charity that supports refugees and asylum seekers - said: "I've been welcomed in British homes, they've shown me love."
He is one of more than 150 charity and healthcare bosses and religious leaders who have signed an open letter to Rishi Sunak calling for the "cruel" proposal to be withdrawn.
The letter, whose signatories including Save the Children, Barnado's, The Children's Society as well as the British Medical Association, warns the PM that 45,000 children could be locked up in just three years. This includes 15,000 separated from their parents, they say.
The letter states: "Most people would rightly be appalled by the idea of detaining thousands of children who arrive here in search of safety, having fled war zones and persecution."
Charities pointed out that medical experts have previously established that almost all detained children "suffered a significant deterioration in their mental and physical health as a direct result of their detention".
Enver Solomon, Refugee Council chief executive, said: “We know from our work that refugee children are often scared and deeply traumatised. They need our protection, not punishment."
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Last night the Home Office announced a string of concessions to tackle concerns about child detention - saying that immigration can now be granted after eight days.
It follows a mauling in the House of Lords which saw the Government's plans roundly defeated amid concerns over the treatment of children. But officials maintain that it is taking the right approach by not making exceptions for children - saying that under 18s will only be deported in limited circumstances.
In a statement the Home Office said: The Government maintains the position that excluding certain cohorts from this legislation could incentivise some people to attempt Channel crossings and make people smugglers target specific groups – ultimately putting them at greater risk."
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The only way to ensure that children are not subjected to dangerous journeys at the hands of human traffickers is to remove the incentive for taking those journeys in the first place – that is what our Stop the Boats Bill sets out to do.
“We have been clear that unaccompanied children will not be removed under this legislation until they turn 18, except for very limited circumstances such as the purposes of reunion with a parent or to a safe country of origin.
"However, we have listened to concerns from the Lord’s and built in further safeguards for unaccompanied children so that the First-tier Tribunal can grant immigration bail after eight days, instead of the current proposed 28 days.”
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