Question

2.87K views19th April 2021

Ema (anonymous) 17th April 2021 0 Comments

I am locked up in a quarantine hotel and cannot eat the food they serve. Its disgusting, I tried to force it down, but was sick, and even the thought of the stuff they dish up is making me queasy. I haven’t really eaten for three days now, and am so hungry and depressed.
Can I request food that I can eat from them, given that i am paying £1750 to be here.
I tried earlier today to request a baked potato but was told they dont have any, and it apparantly breaks the managers heart because of the food I am wasting and he was annoyed with me.
Negative covid tests and know I am being detained illegally but that’s a retrospective battle, for now I just want to eat.
Thanks in advance for advice on my rights..

Josephine - BIHR Changed status to publish 19th April 2021

1 Answer

Josephine - BIHR · Answer 1 · 2021-04-19T09:38:51+00:00

Hello, thank you for the question. The Human Rights Act means that public bodies have a duty to respect and protect our rights. The Human Rights Act contains a right to private life, which includes your right to autonomy and choice. This right is non-absolute, meaning public bodies can limit this right, but they must show that the interference is:

1. lawful: there must be a law that allows officials to take that action
2. legitimate: there must be a legitimate aim the public official is trying to achieve (eg public safety)
3. necessary: all alternative ways of achieving the aim must have been considered and the one chosen must be proportionate.

You can find out more about the right to private and family life here: https://www.bihr.org.uk/blog/the-human-rights-act-unwrapped-right-to-respect-for-private-and-family-life-home-and-correspondence. It’s good to know that human rights mean you can talk to the service (if it’s a public service) and discuss the impact on you and an alternative which will increase your wellbeing. Using human rights language can be a really powerful tool for making change.

We hope this information is useful. Please remember that BIHR is not an advice organisation, and we cannot give direct advice on specific situations. If you need help and are looking for advice, you can contact these organisations.