Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Diane Taylor

Child refugees could develop PTSD if locked up by UK, medical bodies say

A UK Immigration Enforcement officer escorts a child migrant on arrival at the Marina in Dover,  January 2022.
A UK immigration enforcement officer escorts a child on arrival at the Marina in Dover last year. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

The UK’s top medical bodies have called for an urgent meeting with ministers after suggesting that tens of thousands of children could be locked up indefinitely if the illegal migration bill, which has been going through parliament, becomes law.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Psychiatry, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Faculty of Public Health have written a letter to the home secretary, Suella Braverman, and the health secretary, Steve Barclay. The letter has come at the start of Refugee Week coordinated by Together With Refugees, a coalition of more than 500 national and local organisations representing refugees, and has called for an emergency meeting to outline the serious harm and risks the health professionals say these children would face.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.