Both adult and child asylum seekers are often given the option to seek accommodation support through the Home Office. Although generally safe, it has recently come to light that the staff members working for some of these hotels that are used to provide child asylum seekers with safe accommodation have been subjecting children with emotional abuse. Children were also found to go missing from these hotels, with some of them being kidnapped by violent gangs as well as some being abducted from the streets outside these hotels. These alarming events have prompted for calls to shut down the hotels in question to allow for official investigations to take place.
It has come to light by an unnamed whistleblower who worked in the Brighton hotel that certain staff members had threatened children that their asylum claims would be harmed if they ‘misbehaved.’ Some children at these hotels had also been punished by being ‘detained’ in the hotel for days. Some were even told that they would be thrown out of the window coupled with jokes made about their disappearance. Sussex police are currently investigating a potential trafficking case after three children were taken into a car outside the Brighton hotel. The police managed to intercept the car and an investigation has been launched. The Home Office maintains that it has no evidence of the children being kidnapped.
Another whistleblower has stated that he would also hear staff members openly talking about children being abducted and taken away in cars. Some children were also told to go back to their country of origin, as well as being called ‘terrorists.’ The food provided was of poor quality and often expired. The whistleblower also adds that children were checked on an hourly basis to make sure they were in their rooms which meant that they suffered with a poor lack of sleep due to being constantly disturbed.
In the midst of all of this, the Home Office maintains that it has never received a complaint in relation to these claims and that the care of children is its absolute priority, but more than 200 children are missing after vanishing from hotels managed by the Home Office. This is a complete child protection scandal.
At Elaahi & Co Solicitors, we specialise in understanding complex legal rules and providing you with clear, sound and straightforward advice on how they apply to your case. If you feel you have been subjected to mistreatment in any accommodation provided by the Home Office or know someone else who may have, contact our expert team of immigration lawyers a call on 020 3930 3831. We are here to help you.
