Spot the Difference - Which Child Matters the Most? (Circa July 2007)

Every child matters
Thank God it's me!
Born: 15/08/06 Christening today Friday 4th August:

My name is Nancy Reid, I am sure you can all guess who my granddad is, my granddad has a very important job, he has to keep out all these unwanted children and their families who come to our country for benefits. That is why we had to build places like Yarl's Wood Immigration detention centres. They should really be grateful at least it's better than what they had in their country.

My granddad has even put up some signs at Yarl's Wood to show how well we treat them, this is what one of them says: Our purpose is to ensure that they are held securely and safely and cared for humanely.

Did you know that they come in the back of lorries, haven't these people heard of passports? I have a red passport and mum and dad says our red passport can take us anywhere in the world.

Do you know what I heard about some of these people? Two went and barbecued the queen's swan and another two ate a whole donkey between them, just what sort of people are these, we did try to civilize them all those decades ago. Haven't they ever heard that our animals have rights?

To day is a very special day for me, it's my Christening, Mum and dad bought me lots of lovely clothes, the best money can buy.

We are going to have a big celebration with some of the important people granddad works with and the next day we will be going on a safari holiday to Africa, I can't wait to see all the beautiful animals.

Every child matters…
Why not me?
Born: 15/06/06 Bail Hearing today Friday 4th August:

My name is Aliyah Benoni; my mother left her country because my father was arrested for his political opinion and government agents were looking for her too.

She decided to leave the country but only had enough money for one person so she had to leave my siblings with a relative.

Mum wanted to go to Canada to her join her sister (who lives there and has refugee status) and paid an agent to get all the paper work done. My mother was 3 months pregnant with me. We arrived in the UK and my mother was arrested for possession of false documents. She told the police she was seeking asylum but they did not call the immigration officers, instead she was put in prison.

I got out of prison for 5 or six hours just so I could get born, mum had finished her sentence, but remained in prison for some reason. She was rushed to hospital and as a prisoner she must always have two uniformed guards when she went anywhere outside the prison. These guards were the first people to welcome me into the world, four hours after I was born they took us back to my new home, mum's prison cell, because mom does not know anyone in this country, the hospital gave us two little blankets for me and the prison gave me a dress.

When I was 15 days old we moved to our new home Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre, where mom made friends with other ladies who too had their babies in prison, some were kind enough to give me some clothes, they were all boys clothes, but still it was very kind of them to help us. We were also lucky because a kind lady called a befriender and some other well-wishers bought me some clothes. I even got my first pair of shoes and some pretty little socks.

Today is mum and I's Bail Hearing, we could not get a hearing before because we did not have a UK address, now National Asylum Support Service (NASS) has given us new place to live in a hostel. Mom is praying that we make bail as we are not very happy living at Yarl's Wood, because the food is very spicy sometimes my tummy hurts as I eat everything that mom eats.

A lot of families have come and gone some have been taken back to their countries and some have gone back in the community.

Mom is very worried as I am the youngest at Yarl's Wood, last week she was told that there is an out break of Chickenpox, I have been to the hospital twice since living at Yarl's Wood, on every trip we had two uniformed guards, mom is very unhappy about it as she says they make her feel like she is a criminal.

Bye bye for now, I hope Mum and me make bail.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Did you spot the difference if the answer is yes, please inform the secretary of state.

Enquires/further information contact:
Nellie de jongh
Britain's Foreign Bastard Child
Nelliedejongh@freemovement.org.uk