UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – New figures show 10 daily assaults on asylum seekers, alongside reports of trafficking, torture, and neglect, raising safeguarding concerns.
As reported by The Guardian, internal figures show asylum seekers under Home Office supervision experience an average of 10 attacks daily, as officials double down on immigration policies.
What did the data reveal about UK asylum care?
Data obtained through official channels reveals 5,960 incidents of reported attacks on asylum seekers received under the Home Office’s supervision between January 2023 and August 2024. The Home Office also received 380 internal safeguarding referrals concerning asylum seekers targeted in hate crimes during this period.
According to figures revealed through freedom of information laws, the Home Office recorded 11,547 cases of trafficking and 4,686 incidents of torture involving asylum seekers in its care.
What did Steve Smith say about Home Office safeguarding failures?
Steve Smith, the CEO of the charity Care4Calais, stated,
“These statistics are appalling, but they don’t surprise me. Our local groups raise serious safeguarding concerns with the Home Office and its contractors virtually every day, but it feels like they are routinely ignored.”
What did Care4Calais data reveal about complaints against Home Office contractors?
According to freedom of information figures from Care4Calais, the Home Office logged 1,476 serious complaints in 2024 from Migrant Help, the charity responsible for handling asylum seekers’ issues. Of the most serious complaints escalated by Migrant Help, 367 were related to contractor behavior towards asylum seekers in 2024.
The data presented is larger than reported, with many individuals either hesitant to report problems due to concerns over their asylum claims or believing no action is taken.
What did the British Red Cross reveal about sexual harassment and unsafe conditions in asylum accommodation?
The Parliament’s cross-party home affairs select committee is investigating asylum accommodation concerns. Over 100 pieces of evidence from individuals and organizations have been submitted and made available on its official website.
The British Red Cross, in its written submission, raised concerns over an “inadequate safeguarding culture,” with numerous residents reporting feelings of being “unsafe both physically and emotionally” in their living conditions.
The charity outlined a series of failures within asylum accommodation, citing
“a pervasive culture of sexual harassment experienced by women and girls in the hotel, including several instances of sexual harassment and assault.”
The report highlighted that when these incidents were reported to hotel staff, “no resolution” was provided.
Home Office’s stance on asylum seekers’ welfare
A Home Office spokesperson stated,
“Where there are concerns about the welfare of individuals, they can be referred to the asylum safeguarding hub, which allows the Home Office and its partners to address their needs and provide relevant support. We take the welfare of those we are responsible for very seriously, and the safeguarding hub plays an important part in that.”
Home Office sources indicated that, in certain cases, an individual may be referred to the safeguarding hub more than once. The guidance provided on gov.uk highlights a zero-tolerance policy toward harm, abuse, or exploitation in asylum accommodation.
Kamena Dorling views on safeguarding referrals and asylum accommodation
Kamena Dorling, the director of policy at the Helen Bamber Foundation, stated,
“The high number of safeguarding referrals made concerning survivors of trafficking and torture is alarming. We have long warned of the risks people face in harmful asylum accommodation, including self-harm and suicide, but little action has been taken.”
New UK measures on dinghy arrivals
To tackle illegal Channel crossings, ministers have proposed a stricter immigration framework. This includes increased forced removals to migrants’ home countries and the possibility of returning them to France or Balkan states.
Serious incidents expose asylum accommodation failures
- A security guard injured an asylum seeker in a fight, and no response came to his request for a transfer.
- A man was released from the hospital following a suicide attempt and placed in a room with no windows, worsening his mental health condition.
- A woman with a disability was forced to gather water from a leaking ceiling, and she was told it would stop when the rain stopped.