"Asylum Monologues" was presented today, but was preceded by information on how a dossier has been produced on what has happened to the 10 adults and 5 children that were arrested and removed from Tees Valley and sent back to the very unsafe conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Work done with Amnesty International has made interviews possible with those that there was still contact with. What happened to those that left Kinshasha airport. What happened to them in a country the Government deemed safe to send people fleeing for thier life back to. The report will be launched later this month, but in the meantime we are proud that those who have suffered so much and endured agony have held their heads up high and made their statements to ensure that no others are sent to such a fate.
ASYLUM MONOLOGUES is real stories of asylum seekers presented by actors. I cannot convey here how moving and how terrible the stories are. I will just do a precis of what they said, but there was a theme - the atrocities they suffered in their home country, followed by how they were treated here, in our country, yes our country, but our Government officials who carry out their work in our name. Yes, our name. They are doing this on behalf of you and me. Is it what we want ?
Germaine was from the East Congo. He was a fully trained teacher, married with a family, earning a living and playing a part in his community. However when the President was toppled people's rights had to be defended. The stories were sickening. Illegal taxes were brought in and if not paid a wife would be raped. A husband would be forced to have sex with his own children, or shot in front of them. After terrible violence and his own father being shot, Germaine fled, not even able to be at his own father's funeral. He landed at Heathrow not even knowing which country he was in. He was not met with anything like welcome, sympathy or empathy, but a barrage on 288 questions on details of his own country - history and geography, that even an educated person like him could not answeer all of. His application for asylum was refused. The long story of his legal battle began, with him defending himself in his broken english. When he won a case, the judge agreeing with him, the Home Office appealed and won. The battle went on, he slept rough with no money at all for 4 months. he found from something on the internet that his mother had been killed and his children held hostage. Another appeal, whilst he was still without income. An organisation kindly helped by giving him the £90 fare needed to get to his hearing, and he did win this final appeal giving him the right to stay here in safety. After years of the threat of being returned he was safe, and he found his wife and family were got out of the Congo to a refugee camp in Malawi, their case heard and they were allowed to go in safety to Australia. A good ending to the story, but what a battle, what heartache, and how long it all took. He thanked everyone that had helped him to get his voice heard.
Faye was a 12 year old child who was Ethiopean but her mother was Eritrean. After a traumatic time of not being able to live in either country in safety they came here. She settled well in a school and was making friends. Then early one morning there was a knock on the door and 6 men from the Border Agency were there - "pack up your bags, you aren't coming back". She was bundled into a van with her mother, and taken to a detention centre, completely bewildered. What had she done wrong ? life at the detention centre was terrible, she was upset to find other children had lived there for a year. A very strict regime with everyone having to be in their rooms by 9 and not allowed out at all. She was jubilant when they were let out and taken back to the home they were bundled away from. Back at school with friends she could not settle, being terrified of the knock on the door again. It happened, and back to the detention centre. this time they were taken to the airport, but on the way it was found the plane was to go to Ethiopia where she was not allowed to go. Petitions by school friends had been got up and it was back to the detention centre. Finally they were given leave to remain in this country, but she cannot forget the terror and trauma. Her message "no one should be detained in they have done nothing wrong".
I ask myself - is this how a civilised country deals with people. In my name ?
Marjorie was from Uganda. She had been a Councillor in her village, representing the women who were being treated very badly. She was arrested and taken away from her daughter. She was put in prison and had the pain of not only being raped, but this took place in front of her husband. It got worse and happened 30 times in one day. She never saw her husband again and does not know what happened to him. She was sent to a safe house, but was tortured there, and a baby she wa carrying as a result of the rapes was stillborn because of her rough treatment. An escape was arranged, 5 of them got through, but 3 were shot dead.
She ended up at Heathrow and like Germaine did not know which country she had arrived at. Immedately taken to hospital because of the terrible state of her injuries - all recorded - she gave birht to her daughter - a child of the rapings. She was not granted asylum as she was deemed to be a "low key activist". In 2004 a judge ruled that she could stay as her human rights had been violated, but this was overturned by the Home Office on appeal. She entered into one court case after another, finding the mental torture of waiting and constant form filling even worse than her physical scars. Her message to us was "every small things help".
The final actor was playing someone from United Kingdom Borders Agency, UKBA. I could see why she was anonymous. She told us what it was like working at UKBA. She was firmly told that "nobody was PC here", and her supervisor told her that if he had his way asylum seekers would be taken outside and shot. In interviews they were encouraged to be rude and dismissive. there was no cultural awareness training, no mentor, so was left to get on with it with no supervision.
When she interviewed asylum seekers they did not have any legal representative with them, even though they were allowed this - nobody told them they could.
She had a case load that had to have 2 interviews and 2 decision letters a week. If a case was complicated, tough, just less time to look into it.
There was a "grant monkey". this monkey was placed on the desk of anyone granting leave to stay to an asylum seeker, as a mark of shame for that worker. Whistle blowing was very much frowned upon, but it happened and the "grant monkey" was seen no more.
She was asking for a full review of UKBA, like the Macpherson report into the Met Police. The Home Office has core values, the sort of values that I would want them to have if doing things in my name, but the culture of UKBA is such that they are meaningless.
these people are employed to act in our name to ensure that claims for asylum are dealt with fairly and justly. They should have been done with compassion too. We are a civilised country after all. Are we ?
No comments:
Post a Comment