A new report has revealed the impact of immigration bail reporting conditions on children, young people and families.
Living in Fear: The impact of reporting conditions on children, young people and families in Greater Manchester, is published by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU). The research shows that the reporting system is doing invisible harm to children and young people. GMIAU spoke to people who have experienced reporting – before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and some still reporting now – and all spoke of the terror it caused.
The research was carried out with the help of fellow campaigners and experts by experience, particularly the Abolish Reporting Campaign, These Walls Must Fall Manchester, and Women Asylum Seekers Together.
For families in Greater Manchester, reporting means living with uncertainty and feeling helpless; fearing detention and deportation; increased family poverty; disrupted education; and a negative impact on parenting and mental wellbeing.
“I used to sign every two weeks. Since that time, I’m so scared. It affects me mentally – even up to now, the trauma is still with me. I would tell my daughter that if they didn’t see me, they should know that I’ve been detained. My children would be scared. It traumatised them as well.”
Beatrice, a mother seeking asylum in Manchester