Alba/Scotland: Dungavel - London Government Slammed for Detention of Ten Year Old
The Scottish National Party has once again hit out at the United Kingdom governments policy of detaining the children of failed asylum seekers at Dungavel detention centre.
The UK government when under pressure twelve months ago committed itself to ending the policy.
However the centre is still being used as a `child prison' and SNP Scottish Office spokesman Angus MacNeil has slammed Scottish Secretary, Jim Murphy, over the issue.
Following the detention of a child from Malawi this week Angus MacNeil said:
"It has never been right to detain a child behind barbed-wire in Dungavel and there is no excuse for the UK Government's actions this week concerning 10-year-old Tionge Mhango."
"Jim Murphy said last year that these detentions would end - and they have not"
"The Secretary of State must explain why children are still being locked up by his government."
Mr McNeil went on:
"It is an absolute disgrace, and not something that should happen in Scotland today."
"The SNP has had a long-standing commitment to ending this practice and has repeatedly called on the UK Government to act - not only in practice but in law through the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child."
The SNP government's frustration over the issue is compounded by the fact that immigration policy is not a devolved function and therefore there is little the Scottish government can do to end this abuse of children by the London government.
Useful link to article on detention of children at Dungavel here:
J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
02/08/09
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