ACTIVISTS converged on Aviva’s historic Norwich headquarters today to demand the insurer sever ties with companies accused of human rights abuses against migrants and asylum-seekers.

The protesters brought with them a 1.5m-high barbed-wire ball surrounding Aviva’s logo and spoke to hundreds of staff as they made their way to work.

Aviva insures the largest number of migrant detention and surveillance contractors operating in Britain, which, activists say “sits in stark contradiction to the company’s publicly stated human rights commitments.”

Activists specifically called on the company to drop its insurance contract with Serco, which is due to end on October 31.

Boycott Bloody Insurance’s Andrew Taylor said: “Aviva’s five-plus years of cover have enabled Serco’s continued operation of immigration detention centres, round-the-clock surveillance of migrants and substandard housing provision.

“Aviva has continued to insure Serco after reports of sexual abuse, human rights abuses and fraud. It’s time for Aviva to break ties with Serco.”

Representing Nelson Ward in Norwich, Green Party Councillor Hannah Hoechner said: “Serco’s role in the UK’s immigration system is a stark reminder of what happens when government outsources responsibility for vulnerable people’s lives.

“Despite serious concerns raised about the treatment of those detained in Serco-run facilities, the company continues to be awarded contracts worth billions from the government.

“The asylum system should be built on dignity, compassion and accountability — not on contracts that allow private companies to put profit over basic human rights.”

An Aviva spokesperson said they could not publicly comment on which specific companies it does and does not insure due to client confidentiality, but said: “We invest, underwrite and conduct business in accordance with Britain’s legal framework and our own baseline exclusion policies — which are available publicly.”