One in, one out' scheme has failed to protect survivors of torture, says charity

"The Home Office has been accused of failing to protect survivors of trafficking and torture detained as part of the government's one in, one out scheme. Medical Justice, a charity that sends independent clinicians into immigration detention centres, has surveyed 33 detainees waiting to be returned to France by the Home Office in a new report, the first to assess the welfare of this group of detainees. The report calls for one in, one out to be scrapped"

"Clinical safeguards in detention are failing to protect these people, the report states, adding that it makes the protection system in Home Office detention centres a futile exercise with near total disregard for identified vulnerabilities. For many people detention in the UK not past trauma was described as the moment when they lost hope. From a clinical perspective this is dangerous, the report adds."

"Many described to clinicians facing severe violence, intimidation and death threats, from traffickers and people smugglers, border forces, police and organised gangs. They said they were videoed or photographed by traffickers who threatened to use this to find and kill them if they returned to France. One man, who had clinical evidence of a history of torture, told a Medical Justice clinician that he was subjected to restraint involving excessive force and violence during a removal attempt to France."

Medical Justice surveyed 33 detainees awaiting return to France; 18 showed clinical evidence of torture or trafficking. More than 200 people who crossed the Channel in small boats since August 2025 have been forcibly returned to France, with a similar number legally brought to the UK from France. Clinical safeguards in detention are failing, leaving identified vulnerabilities disregarded and making protection systems futile. Many detainees described detention as the moment they lost hope and experienced clinical deterioration. Numerous detainees reported severe violence, intimidation, death threats, and being videoed or photographed by traffickers. Recommendations include scrapping one-in, one-out and processing small-boat asylum claims in the UK.

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