On Tuesday 17 June, staff and volunteers from Detention Action will be hitting the streets of London as part of the London Legal Walk.
For over 20 years the London Legal Walk has been bringing together the legal community to raise funds for charities like ours.
For the second year running, we’ll be walking alongside charities, legal professionals and members of the public who are united by a common goal: To ensure access to legal advice for anyone who needs it.
Access to justice is a vital issue for people trapped in immigration detention.
The UK’s hostile immigration system creates huge barriers for people in detention, who are often especially vulnerable to harm. That includes survivors of trafficking and those who – in the words of one person we supported – have been ‘brought up by this country’.
For decades, legal aid services have been left under-resourced and underfunded, leading to a chronic inability to represent thousands of people facing deportation.
Unlike the criminal justice system, people in immigration detention are not automatically allocated a solicitor and getting the advice they need is extremely difficult.
For a person in detention, qualified legal advice may mean the difference between staying here with their loved ones, or being deported to an unfamiliar country.
That’s why our expert Casework Team is dedicated to supporting people in detention, providing them with emotional support and practical advice and connecting them to legal professionals.
With the numbers of people in detention rising again in the last year, our Casework Service is needed more than before.
Last year, our supporters helped us raise £3,000 at the London Legal Walk. With your help, we aim to go even further, and hit a new goal of £5,000!