The Home Office, according to internal government reports, is documenting an average of 10 daily assaults on asylum seekers in their custody, amidst a backdrop of harsh government rhetoric regarding individuals crossing the Channel.
Statistics show a total of 5,960 assault referrals against asylum seekers under Home Office care from January 2023 to August 2024, with an additional 380 referrals of hate crime victims to the office’s internal safeguarding unit during this period.
Freedom of Information (FoI) requests have revealed that the Home Office recorded 11,547 reports of individuals in its care being victims of trafficking and 4,686 reports of torture victims.
The government has implemented stricter measures for those arriving in the UK on dinghies, including increased forced removals, deprivation of British citizenship, and discussions on returningasylum seekers to countries such as France or Balkan states.
Steve Smith, Care4Calais CEO, responded, “These figures are shockingly high, yet not unexpected. Our local teams frequently report grave safeguarding issues to the Home Office, often to no avail.”
Care4Calais’s data through FoI shows that the Home Office received 1,476 severe complaints from Migrant Help, an organization contracted by the Home Office, of which 367 involved contractor misconduct towards asylum seekers.
These figures likely underestimate the true situation, considering victims’ hesitation to report incidents for fear of jeopardizing their asylum claims or receiving no action when they do.
Home Office representatives noted that a single individual may account for multiple referrals to the safeguarding hub. The government’s website states a zero-tolerance policy towards harm, abuse, or exploitation in asylum housing.
A parliamentary cross-party committee is investigating issues related to asylum accommodation, with over 100 pieces of submitted evidence.
The British Red Cross, in its evidence, criticized the inadequate safeguarding culture, stating many asylum residents feel insecure, physically or psychologically.
In one incident, an asylum seeker reported a pervasive environment of sexual harassment and assault in a hotel, which, when reported, led to no resolution.
Another corroborated case involved a security guard injuring an asylum seeker in a fight, yet relocation efforts were ignored. There was also a case where a woman, suffering mental health conditions and physical disability, was forced to manage a water leak alone, without proper care.
Kamena Dorling from the Helen Bamber Foundation stated, “The concerning volume of safeguarding referrals concerning trafficking and torture survivors is distressing. Inadequate asylum housing conditions have been linked to self-harm and suicide, yet minimally addressed.”
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Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/apr/21/assaults-on-asylum-seekers-in-home-office-care
