The Home Office in the United Kingdom has reported a staggering average of 10 assaults daily on asylum seekers under its care, according to internal government data. This troubling revelation comes amidst a backdrop of increasingly severe government rhetoric aimed at those attempting to cross the English Channel in small boats.

Recent data indicates that from January 2023 to August 2024, there were 5,960 recorded referrals concerning assaults on asylum seekers. Additionally, the figures show that during the same period, the Home Office received 380 referrals related to victims of hate crimes who were housed within its facilities.

Furthermore, the data, acquired through Freedom of Information (FoI) requests, reveals that the Home Office documented a staggering 11,547 reports of trafficking involving individuals under its care and 4,686 incidents where individuals claimed to be victims of torture.

In response to the surge in asylum seekers arriving via perilous dinghy crossings, the UK government has implemented a series of stringent measures. These include increased forced removals back to the individuals countries of origin, the potential deprivation of British citizenship, and considerations for returning asylum seekers to France or other Balkan nations.

Steve Smith, the Chief Executive Officer of the charity Care4Calais, expressed his grave concerns, stating, These statistics are appalling, but they dont surprise me. Our local groups raise serious safeguarding concerns with the Home Office and its contractors virtually every day, but it feels like they are routinely ignored. His comments highlight the ongoing struggle faced by organizations trying to advocate for the safety and rights of asylum seekers.

Further complicating the situation, separate FoI data obtained by Care4Calais suggests that in the year 2024 alone, the Home Office received 1,476 of the most serious complaints from Migrant Help, a charity contracted by the Home Office to address issues faced by asylum seekers. Notably, 367 of these complaints involved allegations concerning the behavior of contractors towards the asylum seekers.

It is important to note that both sets of data are likely to underrepresent the true scale of the issue. Many asylum seekers may hesitate to report incidents due to fears that doing so could jeopardize their asylum claims, or they may feel that no adequate action is taken even when they do raise concerns.

Home Office insiders have indicated that there may be instances where multiple referrals are made regarding an individual to the safeguarding hub. According to government guidelines outlined on the official gov.uk website, there is a zero-tolerance policy regarding any form of harm, abuse, or exploitation within asylum accommodation.

A parliamentary inquiry is currently underway, led by the cross-party Home Affairs Select Committee, to investigate issues related to asylum accommodation. Over 100 pieces of evidence from individuals and organizations have already been collected and made publicly accessible via the committees website.

In its submission to the committee, the British Red Cross highlighted what it termed an inadequate safeguarding culture, where many asylum seekers reported feeling physically or psychologically unsafe in their accommodation. The organization outlined a troubling series of failings, including incidents of inappropriate behavior by hotel staff and managers within shared housing settings, particularly directed at female residents.

One alarming example cited by the British Red Cross involved a hotel where female asylum seekers reported experiencing a pervasive culture of sexual harassment, including several incidents of harassment and assault. When these incidents were reported to the hotel staff, they were met with silence and inaction.

In another disturbing case, a security guard was reported to have seriously injured an asylum seeker during a violent altercation, and efforts to relocate the victim went unacknowledged. Additionally, a man recovering from a suicide attempt was discharged into a windowless room that had previously triggered his mental health issues. In a further incident, a woman who had only one arm struggled to collect water from a leaking ceiling, which she was told would cease once the weather improved.

Kamena Dorling, the policy director at the Helen Bamber Foundation, expressed her alarm at the high number of safeguarding referrals concerning survivors of trafficking and torture. She stated, We have long warned of the risks people face in harmful asylum accommodation, including self-harm and suicide, but little action has been taken.

In response to these serious allegations, a spokesperson for the Home Office stated, Where there are concerns about the welfare of individuals, they can be referred to the asylum safeguarding hub, which allows the Home Office and its partners to address their needs and provide relevant support. We take the welfare of those we are responsible for very seriously, and the safeguarding hub plays an important part in that.