the new londoners refugee week supplement 2013

The New Londoners Refugee Week Supplement 1

The importance

of sanctuary

Mr. IlankovanPresident of theBritish Associationof MaxillofacialSurgeons"The concept of doingsomething to helppeople has alwaysfascinated me"

page 4

Spring 2013www.thenewlondoners.co.uk

Mugabe's dirty game

Comment

English Classes

Education

Poetry workshops

Literature

Asylum seekerpregnancy

Health

Politics

Latin AmericanRegimes

www.thenewlondoners.co.uk

Continued on page 3 >>

At the heart of the experience ofbeing a refugee is the quest for aplace of sanctuary. Sanctuarymeaning a ‘place of refuge or safety’.A refugee is ‘a person who has beenforced to leave their country in orderto escape war, persecution orviolence’. *

According to official figures fromthe Office of the High Commissionfor Refugees (UNHCR), at the start of2012 there were 15.2 million refugeesworldwide**. Currently in the UK,there are approximately 193,000refugees and the top three countriesthey come from are Pakistan, Iran

and Sri Lanka.But the notion of people seeking a

safe place from harm has beenaround for a long time. The twoterms ‘refugee’ and ‘sanctuary’ areoften used in conjunction and theirhistory dates back as far as 600 AD tothe time of the ancient Greeks and

by Jerdenne Wilson

June 2013Refugee Week Supplement

The New Londoners Refugee Week Supplement2

Editor-in-Chief:

Ros Lucas

Sub Editor

Sara Wickert

Production & Communications:

Sylvia Velásquez

Creative Director & layout:

Pablo Monteagudo

Contributors:

Tania Farias

Fatso

Vicky I lankovan

Konstantinos Koloucheris

Kate Monkhouse

Dr Jenny Phil imore

Jerdenne Wilson

Photographies by:

Craig Cloutier

Brett Davies

Gareth Harper

Donostia Kultura

English Pen

Vicky I lankovan

Pablo Monteagudo

Andrada R.

The Chuchofpunk

Xpectro

I l lustrators:

Anima Arts

Renata Domagalska

Rhiannon Hughes

Poetry:

Naz

Produced by:

Migrants Resource Centre

24 Churton Street

London SW1 V 2LP

02078342505

www.migrantsresourcecentre.org.uk

[email protected]

With thanks to all the volunteer

journalists, contributors and media

group members who took part in

the production of the magazine

Dear Readers,

Welcome to The New Londoners' Refugee Week supplement. Refugee Week is an annualcelebration of refugees’ contributions to the UK and this year takes place from 1 7 to 23 June.

The plight of refugees is often forgotten in the discourse surrounding the immigration debate in thenational media. Most have suffered persecution and some torture - others may have fled civi l war orwar zones where their l ives were in danger. Many did not know their final destination when fleeingand negotiating a passage out of their home country and yet they are sti l l misrepresented andaccused of coming to the UK To get benefits. In this issue we tel l a few stories of refugees whocame to the UK to feel safe and how they are contributing to l ife in London.

Ros LucasMRC Executive Director

Follow us and join

in debate on:

The New Londoners

Letter fromEditor-in-Chief

@newlondoners


The importance of sanctuary

One of the meaningsof sanctuary is a‘place of refuge or

safety’ and a refugeeis defined as ‘a personwho has been forcedto leave their countryin order to escapewar, persecution or

violence

Egyptians. In periods of conflict, peopleused to seek sanctuary in holy placesbecause they believed that they could notbe harmed there.

People might leave their countriesbecause of religious, sexual orientation orpolitical persecution; however war is oneof the main causes today why there are somany refugees.

Thanks to the 1951 United NationsRefugee Convention everyone has theright to apply for asylum in anothercountry, including in the UK. Thecountries they run to are left to decidewhether to accept them and offersanctuary.

Take for example the case of MarieTherese Nana. Many would not have evenheard of her but the National Coalition ofAnti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC) has.She fled to the UK from her countryCameroon to evade torture, where shewould be beaten into unconsciousness byher family in a tribal ritual, said to ‘purify’her for converting her religion***.

As a signatory to the RefugeeConvention, the UK is obliged to giveMarie the opportunity to apply for asylum.The UK also has a duty to respect theHuman Rights Act. According to theEquality and Human Rights Commission,the Human Rights Act outlines thefundamental rights and freedoms of

individuals. These include a right to live, aright to liberty and security and freedomfrom torture and inhumane or degradingtreatment.

Sadly, many still ignore the cries for helpfrom asylum seekers like Marie and oftenrefugees do not receive the treatment theythink they will when they arrive here tothe UK. Marie Therese Nana was lockedup in a detention centre, where she wasman handled and mocked for 8 monthsand during that time she was issued aremoval order to send her back to

Cameroon and the same people she fledfrom. Marie was quoted saying “Am I ahuman being? I ran from my country tosave my life and I just seek asylum. Afterdestroying me mentally more than 8months now they plot to send me back tomy killers.”

The Refugee Convention is the legalfoundation for the right to seek sanctuary.It is up to countries receiving refugees tounderstand the important role it plays insaving lives and offering those who arepersecuted the chance to rebuild theirs.

<< Continued from page 1

* Equality and Human Rights Commission offer more detailed information aboutrefugees and places of sanctuary on their official websitewww.equalityhumanrights.com.

** The UNHCR defines what a refugee is and is set up to report on refugee news andalso to help them. Their official website is http://www.unhcr.org where more information about

the work they do can be found.*** Read more on Marie Therese Nana’s story and other personal testimonies of people who have fled their country, why and

the hurdles they face in the countries they fled to on the NCADC website http://www.ncadc.org.uk/about/index.html

I l lustrationbyAnimaArts

Picture by Xpectro


From Sri Lanka with Surgical SkillsVicky Ilankovan interviews her father

I l lustrationbyAnimaArts

Since I was eight I wanted to be a doctor.I still remember using pencils as injectioncylinders and giving people sachets ofpowder from the kitchen to make themfeel better. The concept of doingsomething to help people has alwaysfascinated me.

However, the year that I was to entermedical school in Sri Lanka was the yearthe policy of standardisation came intoforce. This meant that Tamils neededsubstantially higher marks than Sinhalesein order to get into university. For example,Tamils needed 250 points to get intomedical school whereas the Sinhaleseneeded less than 200. I got 249 and wastherefore unable to qualify. I washeartbroken but decided to go to dentalschool instead. A highly underdevelopedspecialty at the time and one that I wasnot at all happy in. Then one day I met aman who had been educated in England.He introduced me to the practice of facialsurgery for dentally qualified people andstressed the importance of this specialityin treating head and neck cancer patients.

At that time, oral cancer was prevalentamong tea plantation workers. He alsospoke of the specialty’s involvement indeformity cases. These sorts of treatmentsinterested me because they meant I wouldbe able to help people who weren’totherwise getting treatment because of alack of money.

In order to do this, it was necessary to bequalified in both dentistry and medicine,and have surgical training. I becamedetermined to do just that and, since therewas no way of doing a second degree in SriLanka, I sat for a fellowship examinationthat was held by the Royal College ofSurgeons of England every year. I passedpart one of the exam and came to Englandto do part two. I couldn’t get a job for sixmonths because there was majordiscrimination in the UK at that timeagainst foreign graduates. I was able to getan incredibly junior job in Edinburgh. Afteranother six months I passed the secondpart of the exam and managed to get a jobin South Wales. Getting into medicalschool at that time for a foreigner with a

temporary registration was particularlydifficult. I applied to all the medicalschools that first year and didn’t even get areply. The second year I got into Cardiff.The next few years were full of visa issues,paying the Sri Lankan government whowere refusing to renew my passport and letme stay in the UK, and prejudice. I becamea registrar in Glasgow but, despite havingmore publications and presentations thanmy peers, along with fellowships indentistry and medicine, I couldn’t get aposition as a senior registrar. I went toelocution lessons to improve mypresentations and even shaved off mymoustache as an interviewer told me that Ididn’t look like a senior registrar but stillgot nowhere. I finally got it on my twelfthinterview. All these things made me evenmore determined, so I made a point to useall my annual leave to go overseas to Indiaand China to learn and become competentin all aspects of our surgical discipline.Then life became easier. Within two years,I was headhunted for a job, and I havebeen a consultant for twenty years.

After six months of being a consultant, Irealised there were many shortfalls in myfield. First, I had to set up a head and neckcancer service in Dorset - which hadn’tbeen there before. Secondly there wasnobody trained to look after these patients- so I trained the staff. What I found mostdifficult however was the patients; whenthey were diagnosed, there was no facilityfor them or their families to be supportedin the community. I realised that this wasa very important part of patient care. So 19years ago, we set up a small charity calledAbout Face which has blossomed over thelast five years. We have now raised moneyfor a house where we give one-to-onecounselling support. We also have alaboratory where young surgeons canpractise their skills, as well as one of thebest head and neck libraries. It’s great forpeople to know that when they’re goingthrough a rough patch, whether they be apatient, friend, family member or carer,they can pick up the phone or come andvisit us and there will always be someoneto listen.

When I became a consultant, I also putaside 18-20% of my income to go and workin various centres in the Far East. I set upthree Cleft Centres in South India as wellas centres to train surgeons in oral cancersurgery and treatment. Last year, thePeking Medical School granted me anhonorary professorship for my work. So fortwenty years I have been helping onestablished units and helping patients atno cost to them. I would love to be able tocontinue this and do more.

Over the years, young trainees andsurgeons have seen what I havecontributed to the speciality and suggestedthat I put my name forward to become thePresident of the British Association ofMaxillofacial Surgeons. I was successfulfor the year 2013-14. This is the first time anon-Caucasian has been given thisposition and I am immensely grateful tothose who have supported me. I hope thatI can make people proud of this field andcan provide better support for ourspeciality.

Since I was eight Iwanted to be a doctor. Istill remember usingpencils as injectioncylinders and giving

people sachets of powderfrom the kitchen to make

them feel better


From Sri Lanka with Surgical SkillsVicky Ilankovan interviews her father

Pictures by Mr. I lankovan'spersonal col lection

Background images by BrettDavies / Andrada R.

Since I was eight I wanted to be a doctor.I still remember using pencils as injectioncylinders and giving people sachets ofpowder from the kitchen to make themfeel better. The concept of doingsomething to help people has alwaysfascinated me.

However, the year that I was to entermedical school in Sri Lanka was the yearthe policy of standardisation came intoforce. This meant that Tamils neededsubstantially higher marks than Sinhalesein order to get into university. For example,Tamils needed 250 points to get intomedical school whereas the Sinhaleseneeded less than 200. I got 249 and wastherefore unable to qualify. I washeartbroken but decided to go to dentalschool instead. A highly underdevelopedspecialty at the time and one that I wasnot at all happy in. Then one day I met aman who had been educated in England.He introduced me to the practice of facialsurgery for dentally qualified people andstressed the importance of this specialityin treating head and neck cancer patients.

At that time, oral cancer was prevalentamong tea plantation workers. He alsospoke of the specialty’s involvement indeformity cases. These sorts of treatmentsinterested me because they meant I wouldbe able to help people who weren’totherwise getting treatment because of alack of money.

In order to do this, it was necessary to bequalified in both dentistry and medicine,and have surgical training. I becamedetermined to do just that and, since therewas no way of doing a second degree in SriLanka, I sat for a fellowship examinationthat was held by the Royal College ofSurgeons of England every year. I passedpart one of the exam and came to Englandto do part two. I couldn’t get a job for sixmonths because there was majordiscrimination in the UK at that timeagainst foreign graduates. I was able to getan incredibly junior job in Edinburgh. Afteranother six months I passed the secondpart of the exam and managed to get a jobin South Wales. Getting into medicalschool at that time for a foreigner with a

temporary registration was particularlydifficult. I applied to all the medicalschools that first year and didn’t even get areply. The second year I got into Cardiff.The next few years were full of visa issues,paying the Sri Lankan government whowere refusing to renew my passport and letme stay in the UK, and prejudice. I becamea registrar in Glasgow but, despite havingmore publications and presentations thanmy peers, along with fellowships indentistry and medicine, I couldn’t get aposition as a senior registrar. I went toelocution lessons to improve mypresentations and even shaved off mymoustache as an interviewer told me that Ididn’t look like a senior registrar but stillgot nowhere. I finally got it on my twelfthinterview. All these things made me evenmore determined, so I made a point to useall my annual leave to go overseas to Indiaand China to learn and become competentin all aspects of our surgical discipline.Then life became easier. Within two years,I was headhunted for a job, and I havebeen a consultant for twenty years.

After six months of being a consultant, Irealised there were many shortfalls in myfield. First, I had to set up a head and neckcancer service in Dorset - which hadn’tbeen there before. Secondly there wasnobody trained to look after these patients- so I trained the staff. What I found mostdifficult however was the patients; whenthey were diagnosed, there was no facilityfor them or their families to be supportedin the community. I realised that this wasa very important part of patient care. So 19years ago, we set up a small charity calledAbout Face which has blossomed over thelast five years. We have now raised moneyfor a house where we give one-to-onecounselling support. We also have alaboratory where young surgeons canpractise their skills, as well as one of thebest head and neck libraries. It’s great forpeople to know that when they’re goingthrough a rough patch, whether they be apatient, friend, family member or carer,they can pick up the phone or come andvisit us and there will always be someoneto listen.

When I became a consultant, I also putaside 18-20% of my income to go and workin various centres in the Far East. I set upthree Cleft Centres in South India as wellas centres to train surgeons in oral cancersurgery and treatment. Last year, thePeking Medical School granted me anhonorary professorship for my work. So fortwenty years I have been helping onestablished units and helping patients atno cost to them. I would love to be able tocontinue this and do more.

Over the years, young trainees andsurgeons have seen what I havecontributed to the speciality and suggestedthat I put my name forward to become thePresident of the British Association ofMaxillofacial Surgeons. I was successfulfor the year 2013-14. This is the first time anon-Caucasian has been given thisposition and I am immensely grateful tothose who have supported me. I hope thatI can make people proud of this field andcan provide better support for ourspeciality.


“From the deep crucible of the homeland.The people's voices rise up. The new daycomes over the horizon. All Chile breaks out insong…” claims the first verse of We WillTriumph, a supporting song for the PopularUnity coalition led by Salvador Allende inChile. According to the RevolutionaryDemocracy journal (2003) the Chileansongwriter and activist Víctor Jara sang thissong defiantly after having been violentlytortured in the Chilean Stadium (renamed laterVíctor Jara Stadium). He had been arrested –and five days later assassinated - because ofhis political beliefs a fate shared by thousandsof other people in 1973.

Forty years after the coup d’état led byGeneral Pinochet on 11th September 1973, it isdifficult to forget the horrors committedagainst the Chilean people. In 2011 the ValechCommission recognised more than 40,000victims in Chile - people arrested, tortured orexecuted- between September 1973 and March1990. Among them, 3,065 people dead ordisappeared. These figures don’t take intoaccount all of the people who went into exileand the families of all the victims.

Military dictatorship in Chile wascharacterised by its terror. However, thissituation was not a unique case. Around thesame time numerous Latin American countrieswere also ruled by a military dictatorship. In1976, following a military coup d’état inArgentina, it started an era known as The DirtyWar, a dark period of state terrorism aimed toexterminate any group or person associatedwith communism. During this period, all thesucceeding military regimes declared waragainst the Argentinian citizens punishing anymanifestation of heterogeneity. According tohuman rights organisations 30,000 peopledisappeared or were assassinated between1976 and 1983 in Argentina.

Meanwhile, from 1972 to 1979, Bolivia livedunder the repressive regime of General HugoBanzer. In 1980, a group of militaries led byLuis García Meza, along with people connectedwith drug trafficking and a terrorist cell knownas Los Novios de la Muerte, - commanded bysome former Nazi and Fascist criminals - tookpower and imposed what the Council onHemispheric Affairs (COHA) named "LatinAmerica's most errant violator of human rightsafter Guatemala and El Salvador”. In the first13 months the regime killed more than 1,000people. This period is also known The CocaineCoup since corruption, drug trafficking andrepression became Bolivia’s reality for threeyears.

Around the same time, Paraguay andUruguay were ruled with repressive regimestoo. For 35 years - from 1954 to 1989- general

An overview of a troubled past

Latin American regimes

by Tania Farias


Alfredo Stroessner subjected Paraguay'scitizens to his government's dictatorship.Assassinations were carried out; people werepersecuted, imprisoned, tortured, forced intoexile and disappeared. It is estimated thatduring Stroessner’s dictatorship more than3,500 people went into exile.

Similarly, dictatorship in Uruguay startedwith the coup d’état led by Juan MaríaBordaberry (1973–1976) and ended in 1985 withGregorio Álvarez (1981-1985). During thesuccession of four leaders any kind of politicalactivity that did not conform to the officialparty was repressed. Again, during this periodpeople were imprisoned and tortured.

Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Salvador,Guatemala and Nicaragua were not exemptfrom having repressive governments. Actuallyduring the twentieth century Salvador,Guatemala and Nicaragua suffered some of thebloodiest regimes in the world.

But how can we explain the simultaneousoccurrence of these brutal regimes in LatinAmerican? To answer this question it isnecessary to analyze it in the context of theCold War; the spread of socialist ideas andtherefore, the emergence of anti-imperialistgovernments all over Latin America. Fearingthe expansion of communism in the region,the American government along with the CIAand right–wing parties in every countryconceived and imposed totalitariandictatorships aimed at destroying any seed ofcommunism. In 1992, the Paraguayan activistMartín Almada – he was himself a politicalprisoner during Stroessner’s dictatorship -came across the Archives of Terror in Paraguay.These documents were a compilation ofwritten exchanges, information anddescriptions relating cooperation agreementsbetween leaders and militaries from Argentina,Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay andlater Ecuador, Peru and Colombia with thesupport of the Unites States, to eradicate anycommunist idea or Soviet influence in theregion. These archives enumerated 50,000assassinations, 30,0000 disappearances and400,000 imprisonments under the name ofOperation Condor.

After the horrors and terrible consequencesof the Second World War, it is difficult tounderstand why such terror regimes wereimposed on this region and probably, we willnever have a rational explanation for this levelof cruelty. However, we can honor those whohave fallen and those who have suffered fromthe brutality of these regimes remembering theevents with respect, learning from ourmistakes and not repeating such atrocitiesagain.

An overview of a troubled past

Latin American regimes

by Tania Farias

PicturebyDonostiaKultura


i n t e g r a t i o nintegration

English classes :

by Dr JennyPhilimore

For many years now politicians and thetabloids have pointed to so-called self-segregation of migrants and their allegedreluctance to speak English as responsiblefor their lack of integration into economyand society in the UK. As a result muchpolicy focus has been placed on trying toencourage cross-community connectionsand linking applications for citizenship toability to speak English. New research fromthe Institute for Research into Superdiversity,University of Birmingham, and theUniversity of Cardiff provides evidenceshowing that for refugees at least, there is noreality behind the rhetoric.

Using survey data – the “hard facts”favoured by politicians - we were able toshow that refugees’ second highest priorityafter feeling safe and secure was learningEnglish. Indeed they placed more emphasis

on the importance of speaking English thanthe policymakers who completed the samesurvey. Unfortunately refugees’ desire tolearn English was frequently thwarted withmany unable to attend language lessons andeven more refugees finding that they did notmake the progress they needed to get on inlife. Our data supports earlier interviewbased research that showed refugees werebeing excluded from lessons through lack ofchildcare provision or high costs and thatmany of those who attended found lessonsto be of low quality.

Furthermore we show there is no evidencewhatsoever that forming social networkswith friends, people of the same faith, orrelatives makes refugees less likely to engagemore widely. Indeed the opposite was true.Networks with friends and family led toformation of networks with other groups and

organisations. Most problematic forintegration was the lack of social networks.Those without them fared worse in healthand employment terms while individualswho not only had networks, but were infrequent contact with those networks, werethe healthiest. Ability to speak English wascrucial in the formation of networks and forgood health and accessing employment.

So rather than focusing on “bad” networkswe need to recognise the critical role of allnetworks in helping refugees to settle andperhaps focus on poor access to ESOLclasses. Investing in quality language lessonsand ensuring decent outcomes for refugeeswould overcome many of the key barriers torefugee settlement and ensure they candevelop the wide range of social networksthey need to get on with their life in the UK.

http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/social-policy/departments/applied-social-studies/news-and-events/2013/04/social-networks-social-capital-refugee-integration.aspx

The key to

Opinion

Picture by Thechurchofpunk


Opinion

Mr Fatso, a Zimbabwean refugee, explains why thedemonstrations still continue.

Every weekend demonstrators gather outside the ZimbabweanEmbassy in London, rain or shine. They are there to express theirdiscontent with the ruthless and malicious government that hasravaged the former basket of Africa, turning it into a beggingorphan.

When the freedom deprived Zimbabweans shout ‘MUGABE MUSTGO, MUGABE MUST GO, they mean it. Mugabe must vacate hisposition one way or another

There are elements even within the Zimbabwe African NationalUnion – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) which want to see change atthe helm. However, they just follow the rules religiously,considering the experience of Edgar Tekere, NdabaningSithole, Duri, Mike Mataure, former Shabani Mine owner-Mutumwa Mawere, James Makamba, familiar names tothe Zimbabwean community. There is a circle of greedfor power and wealth, people who are taking advantageof the current political situation to enrich themselvesat the expense of the masses. They will have to go orface the wrath of law when it comes in the post-Mugabe era.

DirtyGameMugabe and his boys:Why Zimbabweanrefugees are in UK

The Zimbabwean crisis might have not drawn as muchattention from the mainstream media as other similar casesof clashes between civilians and government, but in Londonthere are clear signs that the problem continues. The firsttime I saw demonstrators outside the Zimbabwe House inAgar Street, was a few weeks ago, only to realise that it hasbecome a common phenomenon, as every weekendprotesters are demonstrating against Mugabe’s government.More than that, Mugabe’s dictatorship � as recentlydenounced by Kofi Anan � has forced generations ofZimbabweans to leave their country for better conditions,where violence and human rights violations hopefully are notpart of life's daily routine.Probably this explains why Zimbabwe finds itself near the

top of a list of refugee�producing countries. The example ofZimbabwe gives us ample food for thought with regards tothe meaning of Refugee Week in June. Asylum Seekers aretestament to the existence of injustice and impunity aroundthe globe. As long as these problems persist, then moreuprooted generations will follow and there will always besomething to do about it.

Kofi Anan recently denounced Mugabe as a Dictator, as if hewasn't aware of that all along. He could and should have acted in adifferent way when he was still at the helm of the UN. Mugabeshould have gone a long time ago. Manicaland Zanu-PF MikeMataure said, ‘The legs are tired, new pairs of horses are needed topull the cart’. Since then he has never served in the governmentagain. As things were better at the time, people didn’t take himseriously. Mugabe went from being an aspiring African Father tobeing called the ZANU PF mobster. He turned government-controlled, yet traditionally non-political institutions into politicalinstruments: the police, army, even some religious groups. TheBorder Gezi militia, which terrorized, raped, killed and burnthomes, schools and properties of anyone opposing the regime, wasformed to strengthen the grip of power. Unfortunately, it wasmostly uneducated and unemployed youths who were sent to beatup the opposition across the country, turning schools into torturebases. They were paid with intoxicating substances, so that mostdidn't even realise why and what they were doing. Time after time,Mugabe used unconventional tricks to stay in power, aided by thosearound him. He won back the support of war veterans by printingnon-gold backed notes and dishing them randomly, with almosthis then full cabinet benefiting - some getting 300% disabilitybenefit. The printing of money brought a steep rise in short-termdemand for goods against supply, which triggered the fall of theZimbabwean Dollar and sparked hyperinflation. As if this was notenough, they sanctioned land grabbing, which kept away evenmore investors. Zanu PF wants more of these policies, because itwill give them more freedom to do deals under the table, such asthe forceful acquisition of personal wealth from state coffers. Andthey will blame everything on the West.

Kofi Anan should be calling Mugabe to the Hague for theatrocities committed against his own people since he came topower. However, this time it will not be in Matebeleland only, butcountry-wide, with the potential to engulf the whole of SouthernAfrica. Zimbabwe played a big role in both conflicts before, with theZimbabwean ministers plundering DRC Diamond in 1998. Mugabeshould be stopped to avert the eminent genocide. Many peoplehave died and disappeared under Mugabe’s government. Theworld is aware of the torture of opposition activists, destruction ofthe health service which facilitated conditions for spreadingdiseases, deliberately ignoring the high infant mortality rate. It’sdifficult to provide actual figures due to undocumented migrationtrends but the numbers could be in the millions, more than eventhe displacement seen in Darfur or Rwanda.

Mugabe must go, Mugabe must go. His henchmen should beanswerable one way or another.

byFatso


Asylum seeker pregnancy:

byTania

Farias


Asylum seeker pregnancy:

a very sad situation

Pregnancy is a very special state for a woman, onewhich requires complex and specialist care to assurethe well–being of both, the mother and the unbornchild. Pregnancy is also a time to share and be cheerfulwith family and friends. However, not every womancan enjoy such a protective support and some of themare exposed to very unstable situations.

A pregnant asylum seeker under the support ofsections 4, 95 or 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act1999 will be offered accommodation and financialsupport but she won’t be exempt from UKBA dispersalpolicies, meaning that she could be relocatedanywhere in the UK as many times as the UKBAconsiders it necessary. Following the new guidance onpregnancy and dispersal established in July 2012 by theUKBA a “protected period” of four weeks before andafter the birth was introduced. During this period apregnant woman cannot be dispersed.

Yet a 2013 report by the Refugee Council andMaternity Action, When maternity doesn’t matter:Dispersing pregnant women seeking asylum*, pointsout that the guidance does not take into accountpregnant women’s mental well-being and healthneeds. The report highlights the risks to which thisvulnerable group is being exposed. It is the result ofexhaustive interviews with twenty women who havebeen dispersed during their preganancy.

The report shows that sometimes women have hadserious health conditions such as HIV and diabetes orother factors such as depression and high levels ofstress that put them at risk during pregnancy;frequently when women are relocated they are

separated from family, friends, and healthcarearrangements and they are thusforced to give birthalone. In some cases women were dispersed againstmedical advice and journeys caused additional healthand psychological problems; sometimes they weremoved several times and accommodation wasunsuitable because of lack of space, hygiene,inadequate food and overcrowded spaces. Moreover,interviewees found that they had insufficient moneyfor essential needs such as clothes or food for theirnew born.

Dana, one of the interviewed women said “It wasfreezing (December 29th) but if I didn’t go I would losemy money. For £35 I left my baby. Two hours after Igave birth I left the hospital to go to the post office.The nurses said, ‘No you are not allowed to take thebaby with you because you are not fine.’ I said, ‘No Ihave to go because she doesn’t have clothes. I have tobuy clothes.’ So when she was born for two hours shedidn’t have any clothes so they covered her withtowels.”

The report concluded with a series ofrecommendations aiming to improve the conditions ofpregnant asylum seekers, raising awareness abouttheir care needs especially when they have beenexposed to traumatic and violent situations in thepast.

*When maternity doesn’t matter: Dispersing pregnantwomen seeking asylum a research report by the RefugeeCouncil and Maternity Action (February 2013)

Picture by Craig Cloutier


‘Naz’, took part in the third round of creative writingworkshops offering by English PEN at JRS's Wappingcentre. He wrote two contrasting pieces, one with amemory from back home and one expressing his senseof being in the UK. He shares his writing experience.

Tell me about how you got involved with creative writingworkshops with English PEN.

When I came, I was very excited and motivated. Thetrainer told us how do to this, it is just about beingcreative, so I wrote my first poem on that day. She gave uspoems to read from other writers and she gave us time tothink about writing ourselves. Even though I had neverwritten a poem in my life that is how I did mine. She wasreally good to push us how to write something.

What was the experience like for you?

After the training, I can see anything is possible, I cantrain to do anything in life! Even though English is not mylanguage, I felt this is something that I can do.

How is it writing in a different language to your mothertongue?

To write a poem it is all about being creative first, sowhen you have creativity you can use any language toexpress what you want to say. That is what inspired me to

Each journeyentails

a hundredpossibilities

Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) works with refugees and otherforcibly displaced people, promoting their rights and providinga range of direct services. In London, JRS UK runs a weekly daycentre at its base in Wapping, where each week up to 120refugees come for lunch, some practical help and to share thejoys and sadness of life in this country.

In carrying out its activities JRS UK works in partnership withlike-minded organisations, such as English PEN, a free speechand literature charity that campaigns to defend and promotefree expression. English PEN’s trainers have run severalcreative writing workshops at JRS over the last year, withclearly positive results. In 2012 participants had their poemsand prose published in “Big Writing for a Small World”. Theyalso presented at the Joy of Speaking event in London in 2013.

Louise Zanré, Director of JRS UK articulates why JesuitRefugee Service has enjoyed hosting creative writingworkshops, “It is very important for us to work in partnership,in particularly with English PEN, so that the refugees that wesupport have access to activities and opportunities that theymight not have, including space for self development andgrowth, and also to feel normal. We are grateful that EnglishPEN want to work with us in this way.”

Philip Cowell, Head of Programmes at English PEN, explains,“We saw the participants in these workshops flourish throughtheir creative writing, under the guidance of poet MalikaBooker. We know it can be so unsettling travelling to the UK.Our workshops don’t heal that, but they do give participants achance to explore their new lives through free expression.More than anything, though, we aim for a safe, fun anduplifting setting for people to feel relaxed and confident – andJRS and Malika certainly helped our participants with that.”

by Kate Monkhouse

Picture by Pablo Monteagudo


I REMEMBER

by Naz

I remember when my mother was waking me up

In the morning for bath.

The water was so cold,

She kept saying she ain’t got money

To heat the water

Every drop of the water on my body

Causing drops of tears, I remember.

In the morning bathing was a hell .

7 o’clock in the morning after bath

She dressed me up and served me breakfast

The school was miles away

And I had no money to pay for my bus ticket.

In the morning walking to school was a hell .

A long sandy road in the noon

Full of hot sand, I remember.

My feet got burnt

When walking back home from school.

However the drop of rain can be heard

And puts a smile on my face as I can walk

Without feel ing the heat of the sun in the noon.

DESTITUTE

by Naz

Each journey entai ls a hundred possibi l ities.

I have been thinking al l my life

To make my way to this land,

Many of us called the rich land.

But when I reached

This so-cal led rich land,

I t’s l ike a white storm,

The whole land is so cold

As Arctic

With no home, no shelter.

write. Even though I have many difficulties since living inthis country with speaking and writing English, when itis creative writing I can express myself.

What did you learn about writing?

To express my feelings about my situation throughwords, rather letting them stay inside me and causingdepression. By writing it is like I am taking it out andputting on paper through words it is better than just notsaying anything.

What inspires you in your writing?

The way the trainer was, she was the one who inspiredme. There was a woman who came here to speak to thegroup who had been an asylum seeker in the samesituation. She had been a medical doctor and gave eachone of us a copy of the book she herself had written. Shegave us a boost that we can do it as she is now a full timewriter. That kind of thing also motivated me.

Is there anything else you want to say about the poemsyou write?

The poem I wrote is about expressing the life of arefused asylum seeker in this country. The second poemyou see is about remembering when I was young and mymother and so on. I don’t know what else I can say, readthe poems!

After the training,I can see anythingis possible, I can

train to doanything in life!

Drawing by

Rhiannon H

ughes


No one is listening. No one responds, noone asks her how she is coping. She feels thecity’s eyes looking at her with mistrust. Shethinks: why do they look at me like that?Why are they sending me away?

She talks loudly so people can hear her. Shetells them “I can work; I can pay for yourhelp I am a strong woman. I crossed theoceans and several continents.”

I see other people wanting tocommunicate, wanting to tell their story butthe city is becoming a city full of fear, closingdoors and windows, not wanting to see, tohear or to talk, not even to their neighbours.

I see the woman and her child in the street,begging and sleeping rough. Wishing to tell

her story, but no one is listening.But if I really really listen I can hear a child

talking to the woman’s child, becomingfriends, listening to each other in the park,and in this park a rose strong and bright isgrowing. Hold on, other children are talking,other children are listening. They talk aboutpeace, about the games they used to play intheir country realising they are the same buthave different names, and they laugh at thesound of their voices and their accents. Theywill build a different world and they willgrow listening and appreciative of each other.

When I whispered this to the woman’s earshe smiled and the star of hope sparkled inher eyes.

Reflections

the eyes of a refugee

What do I hear when I listen to the city,when I look to the future in this place thatsurrounds me?

I see a neighbourhood of multiplelanguages, cultures, sounds, and fragrances.I see a woman wishing to tell the city thatshe and her child crossed the ocean andseveral continents to feel secure. She did notwant to hear the screams of people runningfrom the effects of war, hunger and disease.She wants to explain that she doesn’tunderstand what happened. Her town waspeaceful before the modern tanks and menin strange clothes speaking strangelanguages came. No one asked her if shewanted that war, if she wanted the diseasesor if she had enough to eat.

She is peaceful now. She feels relieved, thiscity will protect her, and her child will beable to grow and learn the language of thepeople helping her, a language so similar tothe language of the men who came to hertown.

by Mercedes

Through

Refugee Week 2013 is a unique

opportunity to discover and

celebrate the contribution that

refugees make to the UK

www.refugeeweek.org.uk

I l lustrations by Renata Domagalska

the new londoners refugee week supplement 2013

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