Key Takeaways:
- The Home Office is being urged to publish quarterly data on the number of asylum seekers who die in its care.
- The current system requires freedom of information (FoI) requests to obtain data, which is not always provided.
- In 2024, 51 people died in Home Office-provided asylum accommodation, a significant increase from previous years.
- Campaigners argue that publishing this data is necessary to take effective action to reduce deaths and improve the asylum system.
- The Home Office has cited concerns about harassment and violence as a reason for not releasing the data.
Introduction to the Issue
Human rights and refugee campaigners are calling on the Home Office to be transparent about the numbers of asylum seekers who die in its care. The current system requires individuals to submit freedom of information (FoI) requests to obtain data, which is not always provided. In contrast, other government departments, such as the NHS and the Ministry of Justice, publish regular figures on deaths in hospitals and custody. This lack of transparency has led to concerns about the treatment and care of asylum seekers in the UK.
The Scale of the Problem
According to FoI data, 51 people died in Home Office-provided asylum accommodation in 2024, an increase of 11 on the previous year and a more than twelvefold rise on 2019 when four people died. The department initially claimed that only 30 people had died during that year, but had to apologize after it emerged there were 21 additional deaths. These deaths include those of Leonard Farruku from Albania, who died on the Bibby Stockholm barge in December 2023, and Mehrab Omrani from Iran, who is thought to have lain dead for four months in Home Office accommodation before his body was discovered in March 2024.
The Need for Transparency
Campaigners argue that publishing this data is necessary to take effective action to reduce deaths and improve the asylum system. Louise Calvey, the executive director at Asylum Matters, said: "People are dying in our asylum system. They’re dying at our borders, yes, but they’re also dying in camps, hotels, and other privately run, profit-driven Home Office funded accommodation. People are dying by suicide, dying of infectious disease, dying avoidable deaths. What we know for certain is that lives are being lost – but what we don’t know is how many." The charity Asylum Matters is coordinating a campaign calling for both deaths of asylum seekers in the care of the Home Office and those who die trying to cross the Channel to be published.
The Home Office’s Response
The Home Office has cited concerns about harassment and violence as a reason for not releasing the data. Officials argue that giving the names of those who died could assist in "indirectly identifying the relatives of deceased individuals and/or the accommodation providers. This could expose relatives of the deceased to harassment or violence, particularly in light of recent incidents in August 2024 where asylum locations were targeted." However, campaigners argue that this is not a sufficient reason to withhold the data and that the Home Office has a duty to report and track deaths in its care, just like other government departments.
The Impact on Asylum Seekers and Their Families
The lack of transparency and accountability in the asylum system has a significant impact on asylum seekers and their families. The Home Office previously revealed that it did not routinely inform family members when asylum seekers died in its care and did not want to supply details of these deaths publicly in case it upset them and "endangers their mental health." This lack of communication and support can exacerbate the trauma and distress experienced by families who have lost loved ones in the asylum system.
Conclusion and Call to Action
The Home Office’s failure to publish data on asylum seeker deaths is a shameful outlier in the UK’s system of government transparency. Campaigners are calling on the department to take immediate action to restart asylum processing and prioritize the safety of anyone in asylum accommodation. The public can also play a role in holding the Home Office to account by contacting the Guardian securely to share information and stories about the asylum system. By working together, we can create a more transparent and accountable system that prioritizes the safety and dignity of asylum seekers.
