Remember when women would fight for other women regardless of background or politics? Apparently, that was so a few years ago. Now, many loudly dismiss the struggles of those who aren't exactly like them. But hold onto your protest signs - solidarity is still there, if you squint hard enough.

It was a June day in 2015 when the author stood outside Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre near Bedford, hearing the women inside sing. 'Set her free,' read the graffiti. 'Shut it down.' The author had visited often, hearing desperate stories, but that day felt hopeful, with hundreds of women - refugees, campaigners, lawyers, MPs, actors, writers - gathered to demand freedom for the women locked up.

When Women for Refugee Women was set up, the author was driven by faith in women's solidarity. The organisation works with women seeking asylum in Britain to tell their stories and campaign for justice and safety. For years, that faith seemed validated: women turned up for other women at events, demonstrations, volunteering, campaigning, marching, supporting. And then... well, read on.