Write to the Home Office demanding an inquiry of what happens to the women, children and men they remove.
See below for sample letters:
Dear Jacqui Smith,
I am writing to express my grave concerns over the wellbeing of Ms. Flavia Nambi and to raise the need for an urgent enquiry into the welfare of all removed asylum seekers. I believe the case of Ms. Nambi is representative of the disturbing realities faced by removed asylum seekers and in consideration of this, demand an investigation into the harsh circumstances women, like Ms. Nambi, as well as children and men must cope with once returned to the countries they have bravely fled.
In 2000, Ms. Nambi arrived in the United Kingdom having fled Uganda after being gang raped by soldiers. Here, she achieved refugee status and begun to live with her aunt, with whom she has stayed for the past eight years. However, the Home Office won their appeal and Ms. Nambi’s asylum claim was refused. Despite major protest, Ms. Nambi was removed in January this year.
Now living in Uganda, members of Women Against Rape (WAR) and the All African Women’s Group (AAWG) have managed to maintain contact with Ms. Nambi. As a result, I have learned of the grim conditions Ms. Nambi and, no doubt, countless other removed asylum seekers must contend with. With no secure accommodation and no family connections, Ms. Nambi is now house bound for fear that she will be raped again. Forced withdrawal from anti-depressants that are unavailable in Uganda has made a deep impact upon Ms. Nambi’s mental health and despite her efforts, she has been unable to secure any psychiatric help to overcome her trauma as a rape survivor. The little money friends and her aunt have donated to her is soon to run out.
As a case that demonstrates the myriad difficulties faced by many other removed asylum seekers, Flavia Nambi’s case highlights gross injustice that must be investigated and brought to a stop. I am writing to demand, in the first place, the thorough processing of asylum claims, giving people time to gather all the evidence they need and to access good legal representation and secondly, a system that offers care for those returned to highly dangerous situations.
Yours sincerely
SC
Dear Jacqui Smith
Ms Nambi lost her refugee status and has been forced to return to Uganda, despite numerous efforts to make the Home Office consider her asylum claim properly and appeals by many people who were moved to write to the Home Office on her behalf. Since her return Ms Nambi has been subjected to further trauma which should have been considered before she was removed from the UK.
Ms Nambi in currently living in unsafe accommodation. As a rape survivor, she is confined to her house for fear of being of being raped again. Furthermore the anti-depressants and psychiatric help that she was receiving while in the UK to help her overcome her rape trauma, are not available in Uganda. The lack of emotional and financial support together with the lack of basic medical care and a supportive network of family and friends means that Ms Nambi is severely depressed.
In the circumstances I therefore urge you to reconsider her claim. Ms Nambi has been through an incredibly traumatic experience and continues to do so while she is being forced to live in Uganda which cannot provide her with basic needs. Ms Nambi’s physical and mental well-being is under constant threat while she remains in Uganda. The government’s failure to take into consideration the effects of Ms Nambi’s removal, has left her extremely vulnerable and this treatment is simply unacceptable.
Ms Nambi’s treatment highlights the need for the government to put in place a system which considers, monitors and investigates what happens to those people who are removed. Women Against Rape has evidence from other women who have been removed from the UK and have subsequently been attacked and raped upon their return. Just because a person has been removed from the UK, this does not absolve the government from their responsibility to women like Ms Nambi. I am joining the call for an independent inquiry into what happens to women, children and men who are removed from the UK after their asylum claims are dismissed.
Yours sincerely
EP
