Yet another one. Met strip search a menstruating child, male officers involved in the search

[Feministwoman]

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/may/24/girl-tried-to-kill-herself-after-strip-search-by-met-officers-mother-says

More than 13,000 young people under the age of 18 have been strip-searched in England and Wales since 2017

Bloody hell. Is it just me that finds that abhorrent? CHILDREN being strip searched by grown up adults.

No, not just you. Utterly fucking appalling

Can you imagine just how terrified, humiliated, frightened, ashamed that poor girl would have felt?
I feel so sad and upset for her

I can imagine, unfortunately. Poor thing.

It is an assault. Horrifying.

Yes. I hope the child/family sue the Met. I'd dig very deep to support their crowdfunder for legal costs.

And yes, of course, NO Girl or Woman should be strip searched for this sort of reason.

Ok, there are a VERY FEW reasons this MIGHT be proportionate.

This doesn't seem to be one of them?

However, regardless of race, religion, sexuality, or any other protected characteristic, doing this seems so wrong.

Or maybe just common human decency, regardless of legal protection, should stop this kind of abusive behaviour (because that is what it is)

But, this is particularly dreadful 😢😡

women of all ages conceal evidence in their vagina and rectums.
not checking could be fatal (condom of rectal drugs bursting causing an overdose).
strip searches are necessary but should be done following a specific protocol which is appropriate.
it's extremely easy to slip a pocket knife up either orifice.
mules are often very young and sadly even pets are subject to horrific abuse at the hands of criminals.

She wasn't suspected of drug muling any more than you are FFS.

And you think there are any of those reasons in this case, why, exactly?

A child, on her period?

Really?

Evidence, please for what you say.

they suspected a knife did they not, a pocket knife easy fits up the rectum or vagina.
and not necessarily this case but there is the occasional need for a strip and cavity search.

OH. Yes. Right. 🤔😡

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_cavity_search

how would you know if the menstrual blood was simply that or irritation damage from a knife or other object in her vagina?
honestly you have to be very naïve to not be aware of this and the implications if it's not assessed properly.
now the problem is whether they have and followed appropriate protocols.

Not just assault - a racist assault.

And is anything going to be done about the two boys who falsely accused her? Absolutely shocking.

honestly you have to be very naïve to not be aware of this

And you have to be very naive to trust the police with young girls. Or with people with disabilities. Or with anyone who's other than vampire-toned white.

Do you genuinely believe that two-thirds of the searches under 18 being on children who are ethnically diverse when 15% of the population is, is anything other than racist?

Naive my arse. I bet I've spent more time in cells, as an appropriate adult, in prisons, shelters and with people carrying weapons and drugs than 99% of the population.

There's very specific rules governing strip searches and intimate searches as well a searches on under 17s. In the case of Girl Q the rules went out of the window and it appears from the case of Olivia the rules were not followed for her either.
The Met over the last few years do seem to have behaved as if the law doesn't apply to them

So she was searched after 20hrs and after she was found to have a sharpened stick in her cell which was being used to self harm?

Op do you have any more info other than this article?

Gail Hadfield Gardner, a lawyer who is representing the family in a civil case against the force, said rules had to be followed when searching minors. “...The strip-search needs to be done in front of same-sex staff only, not same-sex staff with the opposite sex onlooking,” she said.

The last part of this shows how the rules are apparently easily cynically manipulated. The question is WHY would adult males want to watch a female child be strip searched? What sort of man doesn't want to leave when a girl is restrained and has her underwear cut off leaving her naked on the floor? And what sort of system finds this acceptable that these men stay to watch. And that's assuming that the search was 100% necessary anyway. Which is an entirely other issue.

I've no doubt there's racism here but there's something perverted too.

And I'm going to wager that there are more children out there who were treated like this but will not be coming forward (or their parents won't) because if they try to bring a case it means involvement with the same criminal justice system. Plus the trauma isn't something they want to relive and the humiliation not something they want to be talking about to strangers.

It’s fucking creepy as a grown adult man to want to watch a CHILD being strip searched. I deliberately use the word ‘want’ because the rules are very clear on this. I’m very much hoping that the family wins the lawsuit. I’m also very much hoping that those responsible for this will be prosecuted for assault but at the same time I think realistically this won’t happen.

WTAF this makes my blood boil so much I want to scream. Surely before they can strip search a child their parent or guardian or someone advocating for the child should be there, why are these rules not in place. That poor girl, my heart breaks for her, she must have been so scared.

Bloody hell. Is it just me that finds that abhorrent? CHILDREN being strip searched by grown up adults.

Not just you.

Worth knowing too that strip searches are conducted on every prisoner entering prison, even after court appearances when they've left prison in secure transport to go there. This involves children and young people too. It's completely avoidable with technology but most prisons/young offenders institutes don't have the technology.

Given the level of trauma, including sexual trauma, experienced by this group of people, often in childhood (so complex trauma), this should be sorted out asap. However, once you're in custody, even police custody, your rights radically diminish. And nobody cares.

The cases raised with girl Q and this girl feature their periods. Their periods make it more humiliating due to social attitudes however, that's not the issue. Without their periods this would be just as horrific.

Wow, only someone who lacks the smallest amount of morality and compassion would think that strip searching a child without a parent present in the presence of several male officers is acceptable as she might be hiding a weapon up her vagina or rectum.

So, rather than linking to bloody Wikipedia to justify this assault on a minor by the Met, maybe you should be asking the question as to why the police were so quick to believe the claims of two (without a doubt} white males.

Good god.

And no mention of any consequences to the boys who falsely accused her.

Given her LDs/disabilities surely it's even more vital an appropriate adult is present when dealing with her

I refuse to believe that men cutting off her clothes was literally the only option 🙄

Absolutely shocking

fallfallfall clearly said this: strip searches are necessary but should be done following a specific protocol which is appropriate.

She is not justifying the way this strip search happened at all.

I missed in the article that it reported the accusing boys were white though.