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Infant feeding

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Breastfeeding mother forcibly separated from her baby.....again ;-(

221 replies

shonaspurtle · 22/05/2007 17:27

This country is a disgrace

She was found sleeping rough with depression so they chucked her kids into care and stuck her in a detention centre. But it's ok because she's a failed asylum seeker.

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potoroo · 30/05/2007 14:05

Me too Mindles - I emailed them this morning.

kiskidee · 30/05/2007 14:13

i've emailed the bbc too. as well as the daily mail. i thought they would like it from the prespective of the gov't doing a cack handed job to get asylum seekers out.

littleducks · 30/05/2007 14:16

I have no internet connection at home atm and was checking my email and active convos quickly when i checked this, it is too terrible for words.

I have emailed the addresses given and as my sesion is running out will return tomorrow for an update.

thanks for highlighting this, and hopefully there will be a positive outcome.

HollyGoHeavily · 30/05/2007 15:40

I have just received this reply from Liam Byrne's office...

Thank you, for your email. Your support for Janipher Maseko has been noted and your email will be forwarded to the case file for future consideration.

Joan Dulieu
PCT

Better than nothing I suppose but I still get the overwhelming feeling we are dealing with faceless and uncaring beurocracy...

HollyGoHeavily · 30/05/2007 15:41

I have just received this reply from Liam Byrne's office...

Thank you, for your email. Your support for Janipher Maseko has been noted and your email will be forwarded to the case file for future consideration.

Joan Dulieu
PCT

Better than nothing I suppose but I still get the overwhelming feeling we are dealing with faceless and uncaring beurocracy...

shonaspurtle · 30/05/2007 16:15

Yeah, I got that same reply.

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bionicley · 30/05/2007 16:28

I emailed the BBC a few days ago too so perhaps if they get a deluge of requests they might cover it?

kiskidee · 30/05/2007 17:16

this blog has now picked up the story.

cazee · 30/05/2007 17:48

I got that reply too, but that is ok. If lots of e-mails are sent on the same topic, then it becomes clear that this is a matter of public concern, and it will really help her case.

cazee · 30/05/2007 17:58

Urban Dryad, have e-mailed you

morgangee · 30/05/2007 18:09

People - it's worked!

Janipher will be released from Yarl's Wood as soon as we can find her somewhere to be bailed too!

More detials when I have them.

Morgan

morgangee · 30/05/2007 18:22

Triumph for people (mother) power!

The Home Office have not just dropped the flight - before the Court action to cease it - they have announced she can be released from Yarl's Wood as soon as suitable accommodation is found.

The lawyers and BWRAP are now trying to find suitable accomodation that will support Janipher and the children as they try and recover from this ordeal, and while court cases on her behalf are undertaken.

Accommodation is tricky - again, more when I have details.

Morgan Gallagher

shonaspurtle · 30/05/2007 18:28

That's fantastic! I'd been googling to see whether this was getting move coverage and some people's reaction was thoroughly upsetting me so it'd great to come back and see this good news!!!!

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shonaspurtle · 30/05/2007 18:29

fgs! typing onehanded... Morgan, do you have a way for me to donate a small amount of money to your charity to help Janipher and women in similar situations?

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beckybrastraps · 30/05/2007 18:34

Hurrah. Thanks for letting us know. I had no response to my emails, but I guess they received quite a few .

I also put in a complaint about her treatment and asked for an inquiry and reassurance that it would not be meted out to another asylum seeker. I will be chasing that up.

morgangee · 30/05/2007 18:36

At the moment, I'm taking cheques in my name, and processing them for Janipher. But we're trying to get a bank account under 'nursing matters' set up tomorrow.

Email on [email protected] for my address - I dont' put it out on the web.

Morgan

(The problem with paypal is they take 20% if you try and take the money out....)

morgangee · 30/05/2007 18:37

Re how people react...

someone told me one of the breastfeeding lists had banned a post on Janipher.

I won't name it, as I don't have first hand knowledge but.... shakes head

shonaspurtle · 30/05/2007 18:38

ok. don't have a chq book atm. Let me know when you have the bank account set up & I'll do a transfer.

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shonaspurtle · 30/05/2007 18:42

I saw one forum where a few people seemed very anti asylum seekers, or the mentally ill for that matter, having any human rights at all. Muppets.

Weird how people don't get that being born into a wealthy country is a huge, totally unearned gift. There but for the grace of God go all of us.

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KerryMum · 30/05/2007 18:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

princessmel · 30/05/2007 18:50

Thats brill Morgan. Well done. Lets hope she's out of there soon.

shonaspurtle · 30/05/2007 18:51

Well it should never happen now that accepted practice is to keep prisoners with babies together, and mothers with pnd etc who need hospital treatment with their babies (as long as the chil isn't at risk).

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morgangee · 30/05/2007 19:14

I wanted to make clear about the children being taken away.... this is how I understand the sequence.

Janipher was thrown out onto the streets, by Social Services, after the Home Office instructed them she was no longer entitled to anything.

She became distressed, in a park, with 2 week old Colin, and 13 months old Chantelle, in her arms. No food, no where to sleep, when she begged for help she was thrown out of Social Services offices by security guards.

Crying her eyes out, passers-by observed her in the park, and called the police. The police arrested her, and removed the children and locked her in a cell. They took all her clothes and gave her one of those night gown things.

The children were checked at a hospital, and found to be in perfect health and well cared for.

meanwhile, the police had a specialist assess Janipher. he stated she had to removed from the prison cell, and taken to somewhere safe, and that she was fit for the children to be returned to her.

So, it was perfectly acceptable for the kids to be taken away for 24 hours, whilst they were checked for harm, and while Janipher was checked. Although it was not reasonable for her to be left with milk engorged breasts and no pump or help, in those 24 hours.

Now, as I understand it, Janipher should have been re-united with the children there and then.

What actually happened, was that she was kept in the cell, without clothing, in the same nightdress, bleeding from the birth and dripping milk from her breasts ... for a further three days. Denied permission to shower.

She was then shipped to Yarl's Wood. Without the children. Still no lactation support. Ten days later, she got the message through to Black Women's Rape Action Project - and they posted widely - and we all kicked off.

There was never any doubt that Janipher was not both capable of taking care of the babies, or had, in fact, taken excellent care of them. Chantelle and she had been booted onto the streets by Social Services before she gave birth - and even on the streets, begging for food, Janipher took such good care of Chantelle, that it was noted in the report, how well cared for she was.

Janipher is insistent, that everyone knows, she has always taken care excellent care of the children.

So if you see anyone suggesting those children were not in perfect health and evidently extrememly well cared for by their mother... jump!

morgangee · 30/05/2007 20:18

.

FioFio · 30/05/2007 20:21

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Message withdrawn