Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to reduce the use of immigration detention for women who have survived torture, rape or trafficking.

The government remains committed to using detention only where necessary. Indeed, the vast majority (95%) of people liable to be removed from the UK are granted immigration bail and there continues to be a general downward trend in the use of detention since 2015.

The Home Office will always seek to facilitate voluntary return as an alternative to detention and enforced removal. Where the use of detention is considered necessary, we recognise that some people may be particularly vulnerable to harm. This is the basis of the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention (AAR) policy, which strengthens the presumption against detention for vulnerable adults. The AAR policy enables officials to identify vulnerable individuals and consequently make balanced decisions about the appropriateness of their detention. Under the policy, women who have survived torture, rape or trafficking will be detained only when the evidence of vulnerability in their particular case is outweighed by the immigration considerations, including immigration compliance, criminality factors and expected date of removal.

Additional safeguards are also in place for those in detention displaying such vulnerabilities, including regular reviews of detention and reporting mechanisms to ensure that particularly vulnerable individuals are brought to the attention of those with direct responsibility for authorising, maintaining and reviewing detention. The recently amended decision-making process for potential victims of modern slavery also includes a Modern Slavery Needs Assessment to identify victims’ recovery needs and establish whether they can be met in detention.

All Home Office staff working in the detention system are also given training and support to identify and act upon indicators of vulnerability at the earliest opportunity.