Women migrants at risk of harm from males at Dungavel

[WrongKindOfFeminist]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpq3r0l0vvpo

'Inspectors at Dungavel - which holds both men and women in separate units - witnessed male detainees looking through women's bedroom windows.
The report also said a group of men approached them to ask why they could not "mix with female detainees".
And it revealed the centre held a man assessed to pose a risk of harm to women at the time of the inspection.
Another man with impending prosecutions for sexual offences had been held there for over a year until shortly before inspectors visited the site.
"Some women said they never left the female unit unless absolutely necessary, while others were reluctant even when escorted," Taylor's report said.
One woman told inspectors: "We can(not) go outside because of the males and our time to do things are quick because of them."
Concerns were first raised about Dungavel in 2021 when Taylor warned that female detainees were being forced to mix with men with a history of sexual violence because of Covid restrictions.'

Also:

'Inspectors also found "concerning practices" around the use of handcuffs, including the handcuffing of a pregnant woman.
Taylor said: "Far fewer women than men are held in immigration detention in the UK and, as a result, their experiences are still largely shaped by policies designed for men.
"This report outlines where current processes fall short for women, but also what is working well.'

Echoes the prison situation.

The report:

https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/positive-treatment-of-women-in-immigration-detention-undermined-by-gaps-in-support/

FFS. Single sex rules should definitely apply here and men should not be allowed to harass women.

I don't think there's any suggestions that these aren't single sex spaces, the problem is that the women can't leave their single sex space as in mixed sex spaces they are harassed, even if they have an escort. I can easily believe this, the tales my sister told of how men harassed her when she dared walk alone in Cairo...even if she wore a headscarf the men would just pull it off and continue their abuse.

Men of all shades are abusive but there does seem to be a particular culture of public harassment and assault amongst certain cultures.

Not sure what the answer is with regards to immigration detention centres, I guess a system like prisons where women and men are held on totally separate sites would be safer for women but perhaps risks splitting up families and also given the small numbers of women is perhaps not workable.

They should be at different sites completely, the fact that men are asking for access to the women is extremely concerning. This must be really awful for the women. The reality is women can probably be kept at very light touch sites in comparison to men.

Seems reasonable. There are very few women at Dungavel -usually around a dozen.

'Dungavel House opened as an immigration removal centre in 2001. It is the only immigration removal centre (IRC) in Scotland, and it has maintained close links with similar centres in England. It holds people being detained under immigration powers, pending their deportation from the UK. The centre had capacity for 249 residents; however, this was limited to 125 (113 males and 12 females). There were 45 residents in the centre at the time of our visit. Of these 45 residents, 11 individuals were receiving support from the mental health team under a vulnerable adult care plan.'

(from the last inspection report)

https://www.mwcscot.org.uk/

ISTR there is a women's prison that is sitting unused in Scotland.

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/brand-new-prison-mother-baby-37377796

Yes that’s what I meant. In the event there are families maybe a different solution can be found for them but I frankly doubt that most of them aren’t single men.

Well, '113 males and 12 females' suggests that the large majority are single men.

There are few enough women involved that caring for them and ensuring their safety, privacy, and dignity should be relatively easy to do.