Children made 'sick with fear' in UK immigration detention centre

Medical experts have found clear evidence that children held in UK immigration centres develop mental and physical health difficulties, according to a report published today.

In the first study of its kind, a team of paediatricians and psychologists found 73% of children they examined had developed clinically significant emotional and behavioural problems since being detained. None had previously reported such problems.

• Eight children had lost weight since entering detention, including a two-year-old and a nine-year-old, both of whom had lost 10% of their body weight.
• Three children had regressed and refused to feed themselves or would only take milk.
• Most of the 20 children seen by a paediatrician complained of recent health problems including abdominal pain, headache, coughing and vomiting. Two required hospital care.
• Ten out of 11 children examined by a psychologist had begun to experience sleep problems, including nightmares and difficulty falling or remaining asleep.
• Four children began bed-wetting, although they had previously been dry for a number of years and two started daytime soiling and wetting, indicators of severe stress.
• Four children had regressed language skills, including one child who had become selectively mute.
• All nine parents interviewed reported severe psychological distress, and six out of nine had contemplated suicide. Two were on suicide watch.