[Picture from same article - copyright guardian.co.uk,
14/12/2012 - Photo Christopher Thomond]
14.12.2012. It emerged on Monday that a
pregnant asylum seeker had been evicted on the day that her baby was induced;
that the housing subcontractor, Target, knew she was set to give birth on that
day; and that G4S (wouldn't you know it), the main contractor, had an excuse
waiting ready. "Neither G4S nor our subcontractors can remove an
individual from their housing without the prior approval of UKBA" (the UK
Border Agency).
Since March this year, £1.7bn worth of
UKBA work has been subcontracted out to three companies, G4S, Serco and
Clearel. They have more power over the conditions of asylum seekers than any
local authority, and yet no accountability – ask G4S why they would move a
woman on the day she was having a baby, or why they would house mothers and
babies, three-to-a-room, in a hostel that smells like a cross between a prison
and a chip shop, and they have the private contractors' mantra. "We
wouldn't do it if UKBA hadn't said it was OK. We're just following
orders."
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