Dominic Must Stay

Since Dominic Junior Mwafulirwa came to the UK from Malawi in April 2003 with his mother, Cecilia, they have lived mainly in Nottingham. They are enthusiastic and committed members of the congregation at St Augustine’s Roman Catholic Church and Dominic attends St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School, where he recently received a Governors’ Award for academic achievement. Dominic is now eight years old and has lived in the UK for six years. He enjoys playing with his friends and his favourite subject is Maths.

Dominic’s life was suddenly turned upside down when he was detained with his mother in February 2009 in a dawn raid on their home. They were forced into a caged prison van and taken to Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre, where staff told them they must return to Malawi, a country Dominic has no memories of as he was just two years old when they left. He kept asking his mother to explain why they were in detention, saying: “Detention is for bad and naughty children. I have never had detention in school before. I have not done anything wrong.”

During the 50 days Dominic spent in Yarl’s Wood IRC, he came across one detainee who had attempted to hang herself, witnessed another self-harming and says he heard so much crying it gave him headaches. He and his mother were released after Dominic contracted chicken pox, but he has been deeply traumatised by these experiences and is now withdrawn, confused and frightened. He cannot understand why he is not allowed to stay in the UK, asking: “Are we really that bad that they don’t want us here? I thought this was my home”. He is also upset because some of the toys he had to leave behind when he was taken into detention have been lost by the family’s previous housing provider.

It would now be in Dominic’s best interests for him to be granted leave to remain in the UK with his mother so that he can continue to access the specialist counselling and support services he requires to help him recover from this terrifying ordeal.