Male migrants detained at immigration centre caught looking through women’s bedrooms windows, report finds

Male detainees at an immigration center were caught peering into women’s bedrooms, while female immigrants were unable to move freely without staff escorts, a new report has revealed.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor drew attention to this inequality at the Dungavel immigration repatriation center in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, where men are said to have the right to free movement.

The report warned that female refugees were at risk of being harmed and that 43 percent of women in the center did not feel safe in outdoor areas due to these conditions.

Home Office figures show that by December 2025, 119 women were being held in immigration removal centers and short-term accommodation facilities.

Investigators at Dungavel, which kept both men and women in separate units, witnessed male detainees peering through women’s bedroom windows and were approached by a group of men to ask why they “couldn’t mingle with female detainees,” the report said.

The report also said the center also held a man who was assessed during an investigation as being at risk of harming women, and another who was facing prosecution for sexual offenses was held there for more than a year until recently.

“While some women said they never left the women’s unit unless absolutely necessary, others were reluctant even when accompanied,” Mr Taylor’s report said.

One woman told investigators: “We can’t go out because of men, and we get things done quickly because of them.”

Concerns about Dungavel were first raised in 2021, when Mr Taylor warned that female detainees were being forced to be with men with a history of sexual violence due to Covid restrictions.

Elsewhere in his report on women’s experience of immigration detention, Mr Taylor criticized staff for driving women around the country late at night.

In some cases, women who were pregnant, physically unwell, or at risk of self-harm or suicide were transferred “with little regard for their health or the appropriateness of the transfer,” the report said.

“These journeys can be disruptive and exhausting and can worsen existing health conditions.

“One woman described the transfer process as psychological torture.”

Investigators also found “concerning practices” regarding the use of handcuffs, including handcuffing a pregnant woman.

Mr Taylor said of his report: “There are far fewer women than men in immigration detention in the UK, and as a result their experiences are still largely shaped by policies aimed at men.

“This report outlines where current processes are falling short for women, but also what is working well. “In the facilities we visited for this review, we saw compassionate and committed staff working hard to support a complex population.

“We hope our findings will help the Home Office and its contractors continue to improve support for these very vulnerable detainees.”