MORE than 50 people, including three babies, have died in Home Office asylum seeker housing in the past five years.
A total of 51 deaths were recorded by the Home Office and date back to April 2016, with most recent documented in June 2021.
The figures come from a Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Refugee Council, and passed on to the Guardian.
The newspaper reports that the number of deaths increased steeply over the past 18 months.
READ MORE: Scots charity blames Home Office as asylum seekers left with no cash for food
As well as three babies who sadly died, three people passed away as a result of Covid-19, and four took their own lives.
Other conditions such as heart problems, cancer, or stroke, were given as cause of death.
However, 31 out of the 51 deaths have not had the cause of death confirmed.
The data marks some of the deaths as non-suspicious but offers no explanation for others.
There are around 60,000 people living in Home Office housing
The Home Office has said this is because a note explaining the cause of death was not recorded on their incident database.
There has also been a sharp increase in deaths, the Guardian reports, but the Home Office does not provide a year-on-year-breakdown in the FOI.
However, it does state that between February and June 2021 there were seven deaths. A separate FOI by the newspaper revealed there were 29 deaths in 2020.
This would therefore suggest there were 15 deaths between 2016 and 2019.
READ MORE: Home Office must stop 'endangering' asylum seekers
There are an estimated 60,000 people living in Home Office accommodation, where the average age is considerably younger than the general population.
The names of many of those who have died are not known publicly, but some have come to light.
Mohamed Camera, 27, from Ivory Coast, was found dead in his north London hotel room on 9 November 2020.
Abdullah Ahmed Abdulla Alhabib, 41, from Yemen, was found dead in his Manchester hotel room on 6 August 2020.
Charities have called for more transparency and accountability about these deaths.
Campaigners have criticised Home Secretary Priti Patel
Sonya Sceats, chief executive of Freedom from Torture, said: “Enforced poverty, unacceptable housing conditions and the constant threat of return to more abuse are pushing already traumatised people to the limit.
“The high number of deaths of people under the care of this government must be investigated openly and thoroughly.
“The way we treat and house people who need our help is emblematic of who we are as a country.
“Our message to Priti Patel and this government is clear: stop playing politics with lives and deliver the compassionate asylum and immigration system you promised after the Windrush scandal.
“Those who have died, and their loved ones, are owed that at the very least.”
READ MORE: Home Office asylum plans 'intrude on devolution', campaigners say
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are always saddened to hear of the death of any individual in asylum accommodation.
“This can be for a number of reasons, including natural causes or as the result of a terminal illness.
“The health and wellbeing of asylum seekers has and always will be our priority.
“We will continue to work closely with a range of organisations to provide support to those that need it and where necessary we will always cooperate fully in any investigation into the cause of an individual death.”
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