Report, Expecting Change: the case for ending the immigration detention of pregnant women
As Kate Middleton gives birth to the third heir to the throne, around 100 pregnant women continue to be detained in the UK for immigration purposes each year. A research report by Medical Justice has shown that the current policy of detaining pregnant women is ineffective, unworkable and damaging. The report, Expecting Change: the case for ending the immigration detention of pregnant women , exposes the plight of innocent pregnant women who seek sanctuary in the UK. These women find themselves locked up and mistreated in the country where they thought they would be safe at last. One woman who lost 7kg whilst pregnant in immigration detention said: "UKBA [UK Border Agency] put me and my unborn baby's life at risk. I was not a criminal: I never breached the law in the UK. I just claimed asylum and asked for refuge. But UKBA put me there and kept me in a detention centre for seven months as a pregnant woman, for no reason." Unlike Kate Middleton, the women in