Child refugees could develop PTSD if locked up by UK, medical bodies say

Letter sent to home secretary warns tens of thousands of children could be locked up indefinitely if illegal migration bill passes

The UK's top medical bodies have called for an urgent meeting with ministers after suggesting that tens of thousands of children could be locked up indefinitely if the illegal migration bill, which has been going through parliament, becomes law.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Psychiatry, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Faculty of Public Health have written a letter to the home secretary, Suella Braverman, and the health secretary, Steve Barclay. The letter has come at the start of Refugee Week coordinated by Together With Refugees, a coalition of more than 500 national and local organisations representing refugees, and has called for an emergency meeting to outline the serious harm and risks the health professionals say these children would face.