Welcome to this MOOC on immigration and tolerance.
This issue has never been more relevant than at present, as
the UK moves towards leaving the EU, amidst a climate of intolerance towards
migrants.
Particularly,
there is a significant focus, by certain news outlets, on illegal immigrants
and the problems they bring to the UK. However, once they are found to be
living in the UK illegally little is known about their experience. Does anyone
care? Should we care?
Watch the Panorama documentary, ‘Undercover: Britain’s
Immigration Secrets’, on BBC iPlayer - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b094mhsn/panorama-undercover-britains-immigration-secrets#.
Once you have watched the documentary, write brief answers
to the following questions:
1.
Do you think the treatment of the detainees in
Brook House is fair?
2.
Why do you think many of the staff at Brook
House treat the detainees as they do?
3.
Does the treatment of the detainees in Brook
House reflect how our society as a whole view immigrants in this country?
4.
Do you agree with the whistle-blower’s decision
to film people secretly and make his footage public? How will this affect the
people involved? Is it fair on them?
1)its not fair at all
ReplyDelete2)They've seen a lack of change from detainees
3)we view them as very negative
4)it is fair as its what they're actually doing day to day
1 the treatment is not fair because they should not be treated in a humane way
ReplyDelete2 I think that the staff treat the detainees in a bad way because they have not seen a decrease in the number of detainees, also they are not paid enough meaning that they want to do there job quickly and think that detainees are in the wrong so they need to be punished
3 I think that some people see immigrates as a criminal also the people in Brook House also see the immigrants in the same way so they are treated like criminals
4 I believe that this whistle-blower has not made the situation any better because this will happen all the time in all the places, so by publishing this film it just shows how much pressure and stress the workers have I think it is fair on the detainees because it shows what they have to live through and what people are doing to them
1. The treatment of the detainees in Brook House is definitely not fair, nobody, no matter what they have done, should be treated like that. The detainees want one thing and one thing only and that is to remain in the Uk or be deported to their home country. However they weren't even letting some of them go back to their home country so they are obviously going to be frustrated. But the staff at Brooks House treated the detainees in a horrific manor, so how do they expect the detainees to behave and be polite.
ReplyDelete2. I think the staff at Brooks House treat the detainees in the way they do because they are fed up of seeing the same sights every day. Also some of the detainees have completed prison sentences, therefore the staff most likely won't have any sympathy for the detainees and probably think they need punishing further. The workplace isn't pleasant and they have to deal with horrendous things which makes them immune to giving any emotion towards detainees.
3. I think the treatment of the detainees in Brook House does reflect how our society as a whole view immigrants in this country to a certain extent, because some view them very negatively, but im not sure why. I think we should accept immigrants if they have secured a job so that they can fend for themselves. Also people who are trying to seek asylum, for example Syrians, as their home country is extremely unsafe and we wouldn't like it if that was happening in our country, therefore i think it is important to sympathise with these people.
4. I think it was a good idea in some ways to film this as people can find out what really happens and hopefully it can be resolved to ensure they follow human rights in these immigration centres. However as he couldn't ask anybody for permission, it has made an unfair situation, but the staff in particular shouldn't have been acting in such manor to start with so they can't blame him for it.
1) I think that the treatment of the detainees at Brook House certainly wasn't fair. The people there were being deprived of many human rights, and in the process, being physically harmed to a very serious extent. Many of the detainees had done bad things in their lives, however it is not permitted under any law that they must be treated in that way. These people have a past, but also a future, and are humans with feelings and emotions just like us - just because they have done so many bad things, this does not mean being hit and hurt will hurt them any less. The disgusting way they were treated was completely unfair and made me angry to watch.
ReplyDelete2) I think it is because they may have been working there for such a long time with people who will be difficult to watch over, and the situation has come to the point where they want to do their job as quickly as possible, whether their actions are humane or not. They seem to no longer be bothered about the safety or lives of the detainees, and one man even said he would not care if he was to kill one of the people. This shows a frighteningly low sense of care and a truly awful level of sadism. But this would be due to uneducated people doing the job, for too long.
3) I do not believe the treatment of these workers reflects the UK public's view on immigrants on the whole. Upon watching what was happening, I was very surprised by the lack of respect and the brutality shown towards the detainees, and I felt that this situation was very different to how the vast majority would want detainees to be treated. Some British people are very much against immigration and have far right-wing views and would perhaps not think the actions of the staff and workers were as wrong as the next person. Personally, I think immigration is inevitable due to the economical success and prestige of the UK, and the vast majority of immigrants cause little trouble. Thankfully, many British people share these views and I am sure below 15% would view the actions of the workers as correct.
4) I think that what Callum did was right, and almost heroic, as he put himself in a terrible place, surrounded by suffering, harm, and neglect. He did this to show the public the dire conditions of Brook House and that the government is not keeping track of what goes on in places such as Brook House. I think these workers should have their identities known, and I would hope that they were found and faced disciplinary action for the things they did. Despite being criminals, the detainees were not in the wrong in their own actions (bar a few, who were violent to their peers but even this is understandable (but not right) considering the situation), so it would be unfair to show their identity. They also may not want the public to see them being the ones hurt for perhaps personal reasons. But the workers should be revealed to the public and known for the wrong they have done. Their abusive actions are almost inexcusable.
1)The treatment of the detainees at brook house is inexcusable as they are harassed, bullied, abused and treated completely wrongly when they're in an environment full of hardened criminals or very dangerous men who are there from overseas. Which leads to more timid and peaceful men getting hurt. The way they're treated is also clearly shown as in that documentary many of the detainees have tried to commit suicide as their life there was so painful and awful to the point they couldn't last there any longer. Also no good un-corrupt government official would also agree that the actions going on in brook house are miles below the standards set for detainee centres across Britain.
ReplyDelete2) Many of the staff treat detainees as they do as many of them may not like the job so therefore although they stay they genuinely have no care for the detainees well being or how they are.So a select few of them either don't care about what they're doing to those detainees or they have made attitudes towards certain detainees making them constantly think this detainee is a bad and stressful person to deal with meaning they'd treat them differently to say someone who has only just arrived at the detainee centre a few days ago. Obviously leading them to treat the detainees as some of the violent select few do.
3) I personally feel like as a country we all try to welcome immigrants well as quite a lot of people realise how their life has been a lot more stressful or painful compared to ours. Meaning many British people are acceptant unlike the select few of violent and sometimes racist G4S guards at the brook house detainee centre. But obviously far right wing racist members of Britain would most likely treat the immigrants with the same respect as those select few G4S guards do. But i would like to say in British society as a whole we're very acceptant and caring towards immigrants in our country and there is a Loud minority painting a bad image on Britain's views on immigrants.
4) I feel like what Callum (the whistle-blower) did was the necessary thing to do as if he didn't we would've never have known about what can go on in some of these detainee centres. It sheds light on what's wrong with these places so we can change them and make life for the immigrants within these detainee centres better so whilst they're getting deported or taken out of the country their experience here is easy and stress free. Also possibly allow them to get more rights and have more cameras so people like those at the G4S centre are punished for their actions/wrongdoing. I think it will positively benefit the detainees and how they're overall treated in all detainee centres bringing more reforms etc. to help them.
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ReplyDelete1. No not at all. Throughout the documentary Brook House is called a 'prison'. I believe it is one, the detention centre for prisoners is like having an extended prison sentence. Such as in the case of Mustapha who spent time in prison and then 11 months in Brook House, a prison like environment. As well as this not all detainees are prisoners, like Harshad who was just a person looking for a better quality of life. But was still treated the same as those that were criminals and in the same environment. In no way is it acceptable for an authority figure to physically or mentally abuse another human, especially in a government run centre. Some people may argue that 'physical measures need to be used in order control the detainees', however I think the aggravated behaviour from the detainees has stemmed from the mistreatment by the staff so the detainees start to fight back. Finally, the detainees are told no information on their deportation and the release, this uncertainty can cause anxiety and fear as they have no idea what is going on and how long they could be there for. Overall, the detainees are human too so it is unfair to treat them like they aren't.
ReplyDelete2. I expect that a lot of the staff at Brook House have worked there for a long time. The probably see the same things happening every day, such as suicide attempts, it’s probably made them feel almost bored with the events and that there is no use in trying to help them. Another factor could be the fact that they have been given an authority role. It has been proven that those given an authority role over others, abuses that power as they suddenly feel they are better or more important than others, like in the Stanford Prison Experiment. Finally, their attitudes towards these people are highly likely to have been influenced by society and the media. Especially since Brexit many British born people still see those born in other countries as less worthy or important. This ideology has more than likely infiltrated the staff's mind causing them to treat these people poorly.
3. I believe that a large majority of the UK'S population do unfortunately have negative attitudes towards immigrants. However, this attitude is changing. In my opinion the majority of those that view immigrants negatively are the older generation. Whereas, the younger generation are more accepting. I think that because the younger generation have grown up with different cultures and ethnicities it is the norm to them, but the older generation did not so they view the immigrants as a nuisance and a problem. This idea can be seen in the documentary where Callum is a younger person that sees this as unfair and wants to put a stop to this, but his older colleagues do not, as they constantly mock and bully the detainees.
4. I completely agree with Callum's idea to film the events as it clearly shows the effects on detainees, and staff members. It provides key evidence to events that take place, because unfortunately it is unlikely that society would believe just the word of one detainee, but the videos show and prove the truth. I hope that this documentary causes legal action to be taken against the staff as they have committed crimes, such as assault. I also hope it causes G4S and the Home Office to revaluate the process in which detention happens so this mistreatment no longer takes place. I think it is fair, as those that caused this mistreatment lost the right to argue the fairness on the situation when they mistreated these people without ever second guessing whether it was fair.
1. It is not fair. Innocent asylum seekers should not be mixed with criminals. They deserve to be treated in a humane way which is shown to not happen from the documentary. I think the staff make the situation worse for the people living inside Brook House.
ReplyDelete2. I think maybe the staff treated them like this because they could have been working there for a long time and these kind of situation come normal and rather than helping them the easier option is to just get their job done without considerations for the people. Being understaffed and the problems with drugs adds to the problem.
3. I think there is a negative view of immigrants in our society, however it is a lot more severe at Brook House. I think the lack of a positive media report on immigrants sways society to focus on their negatives.
4. I think the idea of the whistle-blower to film people secretly however controversial was a good idea. It creates awareness on not only the situation but also shows the people involved in a true light.