ASYLUM FROM RAPE
70% of women seeking asylum in the UK have suffered rape and other sexual violence. But women needing safety for themselves and their children face the same brutal lack of care and injustice as women who are raped in the UK. Despite national and international legal precedents recognising gender-based persecution, rape victims still face horrific obstacles in claiming protection for example instead of getting help to overcome, the difficulties they face in speaking about their experiences, these difficulties are used to disbelieve and dismiss their accounts. We found 88% of women are disbelieved by the Home Office. Legal aid cuts have compounded the injustice they face, denying them representation at hearings and expert reports which could corroborate their claims. See our research documenting this.
See latest UPDATE – 29 January 21 Marian Okeibunor is a rape survivor and mother of two young children. Until last week she was housed by social services in Lewisham. She and her family were cruelly evicted and are now homeless and destitute. Please write to demand that Marian Okeibunor is given immediate housing and support. …
Living under “lockdown” – Gloria, All African Women’s Group When did you come to the UK? I’ve been in the UK since 2002. I was forced to leave [Uganda] because I feared for my life. I was married to an extremely violent, controlling and powerful man who was able to abuse me and get away …
Please add some information about yourself and the reason you are writing. Rt. Hon Priti Patel MPHome Office2 Marsham StreetLondon, SW1P 4DF Email: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk Dear Ms Patel, I am writing to demand that you grant immediate, permanent and unconditional amnesty for all migrants and refugees currently living in the UK. This pandemic has shown how dependent …
The INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF MIGRANTS AND ANTI-RACIST ORGANIZATIONS AND COLLECTIVES #PapersForAll demands immediate, permanent, and unconditional amnesty for all migrants and refugees at this time of a global pandemic and health emergency. Active in Europe, Latin America, the US and the UK – we are calling for everyone concerned with justice to join a …
MUST PROTECT MOTHERS and TACKLE WOMEN’S POVERTY The Domestic Abuse Bill is debated in Parliament again today – it must help protect women’s and children’s lives. The Bill introduces new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, which should offer more protection in an emergency. But it must go further to tackle women’s poverty and the appalling …
NEWS FLASH: Victory after living for 17 years in limbo! Ms O from Cote D’Ivoire – announces today 3 March 2020 that she has finally won refugee status. Speaking at today’s self-help session (which BWRAP helps coordinate) Ms O described how the immigration judge at her appeal hearing intervened to stop the Home Office barrister …
Urgent Christmas appeal for destitute women and children Dear Friends, As Christmas and the school holidays are almost here, we write to ask again if you could kindly donate to our annual Christmas appeal for destitute women and children in the All African Women’s Group (AAWG) — the self-help group of women asylum seekers based with …
Bullied into “Voluntary” Returns At a recent All African Women’s Group meeting, the chair asked whether any women in the group had experience of being forced to sign to return to their country of origin or knew of others that had been. We found out that many women had been taken into back rooms, in …
London women tell UN poverty envoy about impact of welfare cuts Residents of deprived Newham describe domestic abuse and hunger to Philip Alston Women in London have told the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty they are bearing the brunt of government welfare cuts, and described how austerity has left infants homeless and exacerbated problems …
RESPONSE to the Home Affairs Committee Report on DOMESTIC ABUSE Press release Black Women’s Rape Action Project & Women Against Rape We welcome the Committee’s recognition of many of the issues raised in the evidence we and other women’s groups submitted. But they should have gone much further, especially in the following areas: 1. Welfare …
