UK Home Office Records 10 Daily Assaults on Asylum Seekers

The report detailed that between January 2023 and August 2024, 5,960 assault referrals were made for incidents involving asylum seekers under Home Office responsibility. Additionally, 380 referrals related to hate crime victims were reported to the department’s internal safeguarding hub during the same period.

The figures, obtained through freedom of information [FoI] laws, also reveal that the Home Office received 11,547 reports of individuals identified as victims of trafficking, and 4,686 reports of individuals who had experienced torture.

The reported incidents highlight systemic concerns within asylum accommodation in the UK, particularly as the government continues to implement increasingly strict measures against those arriving by boat across the Channel, according to The Guardian.

These include forced removals, the threat of returning individuals to third countries, and policies involving the deprivation of citizenship.

Steve Smith, CEO of the charity Care4Calais, described the statistics as "appalling" but unsurprising. “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,” he said.

According to The Guardian, an ongoing inquiry by the Home Affairs Select Committee is examining conditions within asylum housing. More than 100 pieces of evidence have been submitted, including reports from individuals and organizations.

In its written evidence, the British Red Cross criticized what it described as an "inadequate safeguarding culture." Many asylum seekers reportedly felt "physically or psychologically unsafe" in government-contracted accommodation.