Nearly All Women Crossing Channel by Small Boats Have Been Raped, Mahmood Says

Nearly all women attempting to reach the UK in small boats from northern France have probably been raped during their journeys, British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said, warning that criminal trafficking gangs are effectively deciding who gets the chance to enter the country.

Speaking on The Rest Is Politics podcast, Mahmood said the UK was not fully in control of its border because people arriving in northern France and preparing to cross the English Channel were being selected and controlled by criminal gangs involved in people trafficking.

“You can almost guarantee that every woman that’s in the north of France has probably been raped along the journey,” Mahmood said. She added that some men had also been abused and threatened.

She argued that such a system should not determine who is allowed to enter the UK, seek sanctuary and eventually settle in the country.

The Home Secretary also spoke about far-right activists who have opposed her immigration policies. She said some of the protesters would “kill me in a minute” if they could and would seek to drive her out of the country because they do not consider her a “true Brit” and dislike the fact that she is Muslim.

Mahmood also described herself as part of the pro-Palestinian cause and said she was “very uncomfortable” with the arrests of activists protesting the UK government’s ban on Palestine Action.

Merseyside police arrested 82 people during the Labour party conference in Liverpool on suspicion of wearing or carrying items supporting the proscribed organisation. The arrests followed a protest organised by Defend Our Juries, during which demonstrators displayed banners expressing support for Palestine Action.

Despite her personal views, Mahmood defended enforcement of the ban, saying governments must be prepared to apply their principles even when doing so is uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, British authorities were monitoring a migrant boat heading towards the southern coast on Sunday. French coastguard and rescue vessels were shadowing the dinghy as it moved towards the Channel boundary. Tracking data indicated that it had apparently departed from near Utah Beach in Normandy earlier that morning.

A UK government spokesperson said the Border Security Command was working around the clock to monitor the Channel and protect the country's border. The government said every small-boat arrival needed to be detained, checked and processed.

The Refugee Council welcomed Mahmood's acknowledgement of the dangers faced by women and girls but questioned the government's approach to safe migration routes.

Imran Hussain, a director at the organisation, said women and girls fleeing war and persecution often face sexual violence both in the conflicts they escape and during dangerous journeys in search of safety.

He argued that expanding safe and legal routes would help prevent vulnerable people from falling into the hands of traffickers and other predators. The government, he said, should provide more safe routes rather than closing or restricting them.

Source: The Guardian News