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No place for children petition

Published 25 September 2008

Your chance to support the New Statesman's No Place for Children campaign: join Philip Pullman, Monica Ali, Nick Hornby and others in signing our petition calling for an end to the detention of children for immigration reasons

Thank you

Thank you to the more than 3,300 people who signed the No Place for Children petition. The list is now closed, and the letter with all the signatures will be sent to the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith. Please continue to check the No Place for Children home page for any updates.

Dear Home Secretary,

We welcome the UK’s recent commitment to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in full. In the spirit of that convention, we call on the UK government to end the practice of detaining children and families for the purposes of immigration control.

The government’s stated policy has been to detain children “only when absolutely necessary and for the shortest possible time”. In reality, however, children are often held for long periods in centres with inadequate healthcare and education. Many have been deeply traumatised by their experiences. This situation is unacceptable in a country which claims to adhere to high standards of human rights.

Our clear message is that the UK’s policy of incarcerating innocent minors must stop. Immigration detention centres are no place for children.

Submitted by Alice O'Keeffe of New Statesman
Deadline closed on: 16 November 2008