A Critical Analysis of the United Kingdom's Policy Towards Asylum Seeking Children

A report from the Children’s commissioner for England, Sir Al Aynsley-Green states that children held at an immigration detention centre face extremely distressing arrest and transportation procedures, and are subject to prolonged and sometimes repeated periods of detention. On 18 November 2008 the government removed its immigration reservation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This tantamount move was long overdue and has meant that all children in the UK are entitled equally to the protections afforded by the Convention regardless of their immigration status. Fierce criticism of the UK’s asylum policy has been made and it is argued that consistently the proclamations of the government are habitually at odds with what is practice. Through a critically examination of the UK’s policy towards asylum-seeking children it will be assessed what changes, if any, are necessary.