Glasgow Girls (activists)
Encyclopedia
The Glasgow Girls are a group of seven young women in Glasgow
, Scotland
, who have highlighted the poor treatment of failed asylum seekers. Named by two of its members Amal Azzudin and Roza Salih, the group was established by the group who were all members of Drumchapel High School in Glasgow
in response to the detention of one of their friends, Agnesa Murselaj. Publicity grew as the girls challenged the First Minister
and publicly voiced their concerns as more children at their school were dawn raid
ed, detained and deported.
After visiting the Scottish Parliament
twice, The Glasgow Girls obtained cross-party support on the issue.
The group won the Scottish Campaign of the Year Award in 2005 at the annual Scottish politician of the year
ceremony for their hard work. However, it did not stop them from demanding to know just what had happened to the "protocol" Jack McConnell
that had promised to obtain from the Home Office that social services, education services, and the Immigration police would be consulted before the removal of a family.
Two documentaries have been made by the BBC about their campaign, one of which won the Nations and Regions Award in the Amnesty International UK Media Awards.http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/06_june/28/amnesty.shtml
Their campaign continues.
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, who have highlighted the poor treatment of failed asylum seekers. Named by two of its members Amal Azzudin and Roza Salih, the group was established by the group who were all members of Drumchapel High School in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in response to the detention of one of their friends, Agnesa Murselaj. Publicity grew as the girls challenged the First Minister
First Minister
A First Minister is the leader of a government cabinet.-Canada:In Canada, "First Ministers" is a collective term that refers to all Canadian first ministers of the Crown, otherwise known as heads of government, including the Prime Minister of Canada and the provincial and territorial premiers...
and publicly voiced their concerns as more children at their school were dawn raid
Dawn raid
A police raid or dawn raid is a visit by the police, immigration officers or other officials in the early morning, hoping to use the element of surprise to arrest targets that they think may hide evidence, resist arrest, be politically sensitive, or simply be elsewhere during the day.-Germany:Dawn...
ed, detained and deported.
After visiting the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
twice, The Glasgow Girls obtained cross-party support on the issue.
The group won the Scottish Campaign of the Year Award in 2005 at the annual Scottish politician of the year
Scottish Politician of the Year
Scottish Politician of the Year is an annual award established in 1999. It is held by The Herald newspaper in Prestonfield, Edinburgh, Scotland....
ceremony for their hard work. However, it did not stop them from demanding to know just what had happened to the "protocol" Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
that had promised to obtain from the Home Office that social services, education services, and the Immigration police would be consulted before the removal of a family.
Two documentaries have been made by the BBC about their campaign, one of which won the Nations and Regions Award in the Amnesty International UK Media Awards.http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/06_june/28/amnesty.shtml
Their campaign continues.
See also
- DungavelDungavelDungavel Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention facility in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the town of Strathaven that is also known as Dungavel Castle or Dungavel House...
- ImmigrationImmigrationImmigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
- UNITY (asylum seekers organisation)UNITY (asylum seekers organisation)UNITY is a union of by asylum seekers established in the Glasgow, Scotland, in 2005 to ensure that the human rights of asylum seekers and sans papiers in the UK are upheld...
- United Refugee OrganizationUnited refugee organizationThe United Refugee Organization is a non profit freelance organisation whose aim is to foster unity and promote forums, good will, and cohesive interactions between refugees from all backgrounds....