An undercover investigation has revealed a shocking culture of racism, sexism and threats of violence in Britain’s most notorious detention centre.
Footage recorded in Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre reveals that desperate prisoners threw themselves down a staircase in apparent attempts to commit suicide.
In one of the most shocking incidents uncovered by the investigation by Channel 4 News, a bleeding woman suffering a miscarriage had to wait three hours after begging guards to let her see a doctor.
Staff said she was “refusing to wait her turn” and admonished her for ringing an ambulance herself.
Guards were filmed describing various detainees as “black bitch”, “evil”, and one warder even threatened to “get a stick and beat them”.
Yarl’s Wood is operated by Serco, a private company paid hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money.
The footage raises serious questions for the Home Office about Serco, which was recently investigated by the Serious Fraud Office for overcharging the government by tens of millions of pounds.
Yarl’s Wood, in Bedfordshire, houses more than 400 asylum seekers and victims of trafficking, who can spend years fighting deportation. Almost all the inmates are women.
The centre has been plagued by claims of sexual assault and inappropriate behaviour by male guards.
In January, Rashida Manjoo, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women, asked whether the government had “something to hide” after she was banned from inspecting Yarl’s Wood during an official visit.
Now, in a three-month investigation, Channel 4 News has for the first time gained access and uncovered a litany of abuse. The footage captures guards displaying an appalling attitude towards the women. One is heard recounting a story to another colleague and admitting he “headbutted the bitch”.
Channel 4 Documentary shown on 3/3/15
