The UK immigration authorities have detained children on adult grounds which have led to a lot of speculation on the issue of child welfare. The news came out in the form of a letter from the Immigration Minister Phil Woolas to the MP of the Scottish National Party home affairs spokesman Pete Wishart.

According to the letter, the period from April 2004 to September 2009 saw the detention of 889 children from 488 families. This detention lasted for more than 28 days. This clearly proves the lack of proper rules which has allowed such practices based on adult grounds.

However, the letter also states that the figures are subject to change due to the constant change and transfer of centers for these children. This would have led to counting a single child more than once.

On the other hand, the government’s figures revealed the following –

• 103 children were detained at the Dun gavel centre in South Lanark Shire from October 2008 to mid September 2009.
• 884 children kept at the Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre in Bedfordshire from July 2008 to July 2009.
• 328 children near the Gatwick Airport during September 2008 to August 2009.

The above figures clearly project the irresponsible attitude of the British government and more so; question the morality of the country and its government. Immediate action must be taken to ensure that such instances do not happen in the future.

Inspite of the families being illegal immigrant, the bear should not brunt by the children in those critical years. Thus, to overcome such an issue, the UK Border Agency is implementing a bill known as the duty of care to children through the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration.

In addition to the above, amendments are being brought about with regards to presenting better statistics and reports which could help in producing better results. This is a lesson as well for all those planning to immigrate to a new country. It is always better to opt for the legal way to avoid any negative experience, especially for your children. To know more, contact an Immigration and Visa expert. He would guide you appropriately.