I apologise for banging on about this, but there is a fabulous article in the New Statesman about the detention of children

[theSuburbanDryad]

Sir Al Aynsley-Green on the policy of locking up families here.

it is a deeply shameful situation. no need to apologise for 'banging on' about it btw. we all too easily turn a blind eye
very

I posted the medical notes from Yarl's Wood which proved that Baby C had been denied milk for 18 hours, and got the reaction "I wish you hadn't posted this - I had hoped it wasn't true."

People's apathy and ability for self-deception never ceases to amaze me.

Here is Esther Rantzen reading Morgan's Story, part of a play which was performed at the Young Vic. It refers to the case of Janipher Maseko, the young girl from Uganda who was separated from her 3 week old and her 14 month old babies.

WARNING this link is extremely upsetting, and may distress people who think mothers shouldn't be separated from their children.

what kind of things do you do, dryad, to be more involved in campaigning over issues like these?

yes, I can well believe people would rather not know. sad but true

I'm not involved on a professional level, morocco. I volunteer with an agency called Nursing Matters and - through them - visit mothers and children in Yarl's Wood.

I often wish I'd never heard of Yarl's Wood - I wish i'd never gone to that awful place. But once I had heard about it, I couldn't sit back and do nothing. That's how places like this thrive.

The thing that really makes me laugh, is when people say to me, "How can you take your ds into places like that?"

I mean - if they're not suitable for my ds, then why would they be suitable for the hundreds of children who are locked up there? Have to say it was a shock the first time I went and they searched his car seat though.

I really had no idea that this was happening at all. And I do read papers and watch news. I am totally

I don't know where to direct this shock however - what is being done already?

One final link for you - Morgan's blog. Morgan is the real powerhouse behind all this, I'm just the supporting cast.

And now I must go to bed!

well done for volunteering.

I'm sorry, I know that prob sounds patronising crap,but I really admire you for doing that. it can't be easy. ignoring what is going on is always easier. but not the right thing to do.

Peas - Write to your MP and demand to know why this abhorrent process is going on. Raise awareness. Get people talking. Publicise the articles and videos on your own blogs and other forums.

The comment I get a lot of the time is, "I had no idea - what can I do?" People just don't know about it, or if they do know they ignore it because it dirties their perception of the world we live in.

Burst peoples' bubbles. Try and make them aware of what's happening, and that this is all of our responsibility. That's part of living in a democracy.

The media are finally picking up on it - there was an article on the BBC website, and there have been a few column inches in the nation broadsheets (not the tabloids, obviously - they mostly think Yarl's Wood is a great place! ) here and there. As you can see, New Statesman has picked up the story, and there was a big piece on Channel Four news last night about Prof Al Aynsley-Green's involvement with the Govt. report.

I really need to get to bed! Have work in the morning!!

Bump

there's a facebook group about it now - I happened across it today - so people have noticed - don't know if anyone here is on it, there are only 11 memembers!

arrgh - had DD pulling at me and typed that SO badly! Sorry