Medical Justice: Working for Health Rights for Detainees
Medical Justice offers essential medical help to the most powerless in society. About 30,000 people a year are held in indeterminate immigration detention in the UK. Many detainees have suffered torture or ill treatment, have significant and chronic health problems, and a few may be pregnant, or have been detained for prolonged periods of time without any prospect of release or removal. Being detained indefinitely itself causes serious health problems. Many independent reports and legal judgements provide evidence of the inadequate healthcare provided in detention centres, especially for those with mental health problems.
Medical Justice’s clinicians document detainees’ scars of torture to assist in their asylum claims and challenge medical mistreatment of those held in detention. These cases provide the evidence for research, publications and campaigns for lasting improvements for detainees.
Medical Justice is a tiny organisation, but we are effective thanks to the courage and generosity of our volunteers, clinicians, interpreters and ex-detainees – and thanks to partnerships with colleagues in other organisations in this field.
