Joel Mordi, LGBTQI+ activist from Nigeria, telling his story in Parliament
A couple of weeks ago, our team held a successful drop-in event at Parliament. Our aim was to shed some light on the specific risks that LGBTQI+ people face in detention and persuade MPs to influence an upcoming review of an important Home Office policy – ‘Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention’ – which the government could use to end LGBTQI+ detention.
The event brought together policymakers, Rainbow Migration staff members and Joel Mordi, an LGBTQI+ activist who organised Nigeria’s first Pride protest in 2019 and was detained when he came to the UK seeking safety from persecution.
Thanks to our brilliant No Pride in Detention campaign supporters who emailed their MPs to inform them about the event, many MPs and staff members representing several political parties came along to hear Joel’s moving story. He talked about the bullying and verbal abuse he faced on a daily basis in detention and the inaction from staff members:
“We need safety and understanding, but instead, I was left to fend for myself in a place where isolation and fear were constant companions.”
Joel ended on a hopeful note for the future:
“No one should have to endure what I did, and it is in your power to ensure that LGBTQ+ asylum seekers are treated with the respect, care, and compassion we deserve. Thank you for listening to my story, and I hope it brings us closer to a future where LGBTQI+ people seeking refuge find the safety that we deserve.”
After that, our Executive Director, Leila Zadeh, went on to explain the wide evidence there is about the significant additional risk of harm in immigration detention that LGBTQI+ people face due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics, and the inability of the Home Office to keep them safe.
The ‘Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention’ policy was introduced in response to the 2016 Shaw Review, which found significant human rights abuses in immigration detention and pervasive, systemic risks to vulnerable people.
At that time we provided extensive evidence to Shaw on the harm LGBTQI+ people face in detention and why they should be considered to be at extra risk of harm. This resulted in him recommending trans and intersex people should be presumed unsuitable for detention, in light of the inability of detention centres to provide an appropriate, safe and supportive environment.
However, the effectiveness of this policy has been undermined by recent changes to statutory guidance, which risk detaining more vulnerable people for longer periods. In the wake of the Brook House Inquiry Report, it is shocking that safeguards for people at risk of harm in immigration detention are being weakened rather than reinforced.
Members of Parliament showing their support for the campaign alongside Joel Mordi: Daniel Aldridge, Carla Denyer, Kevin Bonavia, Dawn Butler, Charlotte Cane, Steve Witherden
A historic opportunity for real change
The government announced it is reviewing the current ‘Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention’ policy by spring 2025, and will look to reform the policy to improve the effectiveness of the regulations and safeguards.
We told attendees that we welcome the new government’s recognition that there is a need to ensure the policy is more effective at safeguarding people. We believe this is a historic opportunity to both reverse the recent statutory guidance changes and recognise the specific harms that LGBQ people face in immigration detention, alongside the current recognition for trans and intersex people.
Joel’s powerful story resonated deeply with MPs, with many expressing support for our cause and afterwards writing to the Border Security Minister to ask for an end to LGBTQI+ detention. They left with a clear message: nobody benefits from detention, except the private contractors who are paid millions of pounds a year to run the UK’s detention centres. But we could all benefit from an approach that sees people supported in our communities and empowered to make decisions that are right for them. For LGBTQI+ people who have fled persecution and could otherwise be detained here, it would mean having the chance to live openly and with dignity while they claim asylum in the UK.
Thank you to all the MPs that came along, and thank you to all our amazing campaign supporters for writing to their MPs and making sure they knew about the event.