Living against the clock

By Rowenna Davies

A family awaits the dawn knock at the door amid fears that ending detention of child asylum seekers will lead to quicker deportations

Fourteen-year-old Farzana Begum sits on her bed. She is wearing eyeliner and heavy silver earrings dangle around her small brown face. Her room could belong to many teenage girls in Manchester. A mirror is propped up on a cabinet and faded printouts of friends scatter the walls. It looks like a safe place, but it isn’t. Two weeks ago, a letter arrived informing Farzana and her mother that, after five years in the UK, their asylum claim had been rejected. Although it didn’t say when they would have to leave the UK, it did say they would be deported if they did not agree to return voluntarily to Bangladesh.

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