This report looks at the experiences of 38 women who came to the UK to seek asylum and were detained in Yarl’s Wood detention centre between June 2012 and October 2014. It focuses particularly on what these women said about how they were treated during their arrests, detention and attempted removals.

This research was undertaken in order to gain more insight into the way that the Home Office and their contractors treat women who come to this country seeking protection. It discovered frequent sexual abuse by male staff, extremely inadequate healthcare and a range of other very serious failings.