Una Padel Award: Winner 2007 Individual category
Mrs Gillian Margaret Butler, Chair, Yarl's Wood Befrienders
Email:
Tel: 01234 407351
Yarl's Wood Befrienders is a registered charity providing friendship and support to detainees at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre. Gillian Butler has personally made a very big impact on many people who are experiencing difficult times while being held at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre. Gillian's main role as a befriender, is to visit detainees on a regular basis, listen to their often harrowing stories and help them, through friendship and support during their time in detention. She is also a member of the Medical Justice Network steering committee which provides independent medical advice and representation to detained asylum seekers in the UK. She has a particular interest in the effects of detention on mental health, especially on those most vulnerable to re-traumatisation such as torture victims, children, pregnant women and those with severe physical or mental illness.
Gillian Butler has often gone out of her way to support detainees through extremely difficult times, and through her work has been able to secure the release of a number of detainees who would otherwise have been inappropriately removed, to face further persecution in their home countries. She is also working tirelessly to counter the negative view of asylum seekers often portrayed through the media by giving talks and seminars to various groups and organisations.
Her deep understanding and respect for human rights is demonstrated by personally providing a safe place within her own private home to a Ugandan woman who, after being detained and suffering consequent re-traumatisation, was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, before being released in 2005.
Click on the link for information about the winner of the organisational category - Prison Chat UK.
Click on the links for more information about The Prison Phoenix Trust or The DoVes Project at HMP and YOI Doncaster both highly commended in the organisational category.