They are using us to work for £1. Most of them here they are coming from prison because they are working illegally. So now the immigration removal prisons are using us to do the laundry, to cook, to wash. The working conditions are really bad. In the kitchen we cook the food, washing the plates for £1 per hour. Too many girls don’t want to do it but we have no choice. Its threatening behaviour. Here when you are not working, when you are not doing nothing its bad if you go to court. You can’t get your bail because your report is not good. So most of the women here they don’t want to do that but that’s the choices they have. Because they are coming from prison from working illegally. So when you go to court you have to show your report. And if you aren’t working you don’t get a good report. They want you to show you are a good character. They are threatened.

This beg bugs business is really important. They need to close down Yarl’s Wood. Some of the women here have HIV and the bug are sucking the blood. So we are stress. Very stressed. Cos we don’t know if the bed bugs are carrying the disease or not. People are frightened.