THE United Nations and international human rights organisations joined forces yesterday to condemn new UK government tactics which imprison the children of asylum seekers.

The United Nation's Refugee Agency and the UN's High Commission on Human Rights both fiercely denounced the policy, and were joined in their condemnation by Amnesty International, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and opposition MSPs.

A Sunday Herald investigation today reveals how the Home Office's immigration service has introduced a new policy of "luring" entire families of refugees in Scotland to immigration offices and then detaining them.

The new tactic has been developed as an alternative to the controversial policy of "dawn raids" which saw immigration officers clad in body armour storming the homes of asylum seekers in the early hours of the morning, dragging them from their beds and taking men, women and children to detention centres.

As immigration is a reserved matter for Westminster, protesters felt the government in London was foisting an inhumane policy onto Scotland. Dawn raids caused much less anger in England, where the policy continues.

The Sunday Herald also discovered that asylum-seeking families who are about to be deported are now being moved to holding centres in England rather than being kept at Dungavel in Scotland. Protesters say this is an attempt to stall demonstrations and shift detainees "out of sight and out of mind" over the Border.

Peter Kessler, of the UN Refugee Agency, said: "Children seeking asylum should not be kept in detention. The Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children should only be detained as a measure of last resort."

Kessler added that the UN "will take every relevant future opportunity to reiterate our concerns to the UK government about the detention of child asylum seekers in the UK". The agency has also told the British government that its actions "are incompatible with the Convention on the Rights of the Child".

Jakob Doek, from the UN's Office of the High Commission for Human Rights, claimed Britain was "riding roughshod" over the rights of children.

Doek, also chairman of the UN committee on the rights of the child, said: "Children should not be detained because they are asylum seekers or are awaiting deportation. It is an obligation to provide decent facilities for all children, including humane housing. Detention should never be an alternative.

"The UK government is not living up to its commitments. No-one forced Britain to sign the convention. The UK should show a sincere commitment to the rights of the child by not doing what they are currently doing.

"If I was Tony Blair, I would say let's show we can take the lead on how to treat children. We can show that we won't just do the easy thing.' What exactly is the UK trying to prove by putting children in detention centres?"

The UK is shortly to report to the UN committee on the rights of the child. At the top of the discussion list is the treatment of refugee children.

John Watson, head of Amnesty International Scotland, said: "International standards rule out detention of children. It is shocking and disappointing that this is still happening. We'll continue to highlight this with the government."

Kathleen Marshall, Scotland's Commissioner for Children, said: "Improvements have been promised but are taking a long time to come through. I am seeking a meeting with immigration to discuss the situation and am also taking steps to make sure I am fully aware of the young people's perspectives on this. I will continue to pursue this issue."

Rosie Kane, SSP MSP and veteran campaigner on behalf of refugees, said: "Asylum seekers with families are the most targeted group as they are the most vulnerable. Taking a whole family into custody also increases detention statistics. It's a sinister and terrifying tactic. It terrorises children. It is a vile activity, brutal and devoid of any humanity. It is a disgrace to Scotland."

Kane also warned that the new tactics could result in asylum seekers refusing to report to immigration offices and going on the run with their children.

And shifting asylum seekers from Scotland to English detention centres, said Kane, "helped the government quell public outrage. If people don't know where they are, then the issue can be swept under the carpet."