The figures showed that 218 detainees staged hunger strikes during the three months, while more than 100 suicide attempts were committed during the same period.
The Medical Justice charity organization, which aims at improving the health of the detainees, expressed its concern over the issue, adding that the revealed information illustrated "the degree of desperation, frustration and sense of helplessness."
"We are frequently contacted by detainees who are refusing food and/or fluids. Their reasons vary and sometimes overlap: some have mental or physical health problems that mean they do not or cannot eat. Some express a wish to die by not eating. Some feel their case has not been properly considered and hunger striking is the only way to make their voice heard. Some are protesting against their detention," acting Director of Medical Justice Theresa Schleicher was quoted as saying by the media.
According to the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, some 32,400 immigrants entered detention in the United Kingdom last year. The UK Home Office was repeatedly asked to reveal the information on hunger strikes in detention centers, and it agreed to release the data only after the Information Commissioner’s Office accused it of violating the Freedom of Information Act.
