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For the last few years so many of us have poured so much love and rage into campaigning against the detention of migrant and refugee women at Yarl's Wood.
Today, we hear it is emptied of women.
1/6 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-53810521
Today, we hear it is emptied of women.
1/6 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-53810521
I'll start by looking back. I first visited Yarl's Wood in 2007 when children were still locked up there. I met a 13-year-old girl called Meltem Avcil and her mum. We wrote a play together that Juliet Stevenson put on at the Young Vic, about the detention of families 2/6
That helped to change the conversation about the indefinite detention of kids. In 2010 the government announced it would stop that inhumane policy. In 2014, @4refugeewomen started the Set Her Free campaign against detention of women. What did we do? We did all we could. 3/6
We wrote plays. We spoke in the media. We published reports. We lobbied MPs. We held demonstrations at Yarls Wood and at the Home Office. We made films. We worked in partnership with a ton of other great organisations. Above all, we worked alongside women who were detained.4/6
Now, we hear the centre is emptied of women.
I want to celebrate. I want to fling my arms round all those who worked with us and say - we won!
We Set Her Free! 5/6
I want to celebrate. I want to fling my arms round all those who worked with us and say - we won!
We Set Her Free! 5/6
But I am afraid that the centre may be repurposed for further detention. I am afraid that hate is still strong in this country and migrants are still scapegoated.
So... let the love and rage continue, until we are all free.
So... let the love and rage continue, until we are all free.
