Our year: 2023
Last year was an extremely difficult year for refugee and asylum-seeking women as the Government continued to pursue their cruel and hostile policies, which make it even more difficult for women to find safety in the UK.
But alongside hundreds of you, we continued to campaign against this hostility and for a fair and compassionate asylum system for all women seeking safety, and supported over 400 refugee women to rebuild their lives, on their terms.
From celebratory parties, performing at public events, meeting with parliamentarians, and building community together - refugee and asylum-seeking women in our network have met the Government's hostility and cruelty with hope, joy, and resistance.
It is with thanks to the collective generosity, compassion and solidarity of our supporters like you that our work is possible. Thank you!
We know this year is going to be challenging. From the persistent pursuit of the Rwanda Bill - despite being ruled unlawful - to the villainization of people seeking safety by the Government and media for political gain, our work is needed more than ever.
Please continue to stand with refugee and asylum-seeking women - you can make a real difference.
Together we are stronger. And together we can Welcome Every Woman.
Join our community:
- Donate to support refugee women to rebuild their lives
- Sign our pledge to Welcome Every Woman
- Follow us on X (Twitter), Instagram or Facebook
Yesterday, the Government’s cruel Rwanda Bill passed in the House of Commons.
Yesterday, 17 January 2024, the Government’s cruel Rwanda Bill passed in the House of Commons.
This is despite strong opposition, including the UK Supreme Court ruling of 15 November 2023, which deemed the Rwanda plan unlawful, and warnings from the United Nations Refugee Agency that the plan is incompatible with international law. The UK Government cannot operate above the law.
The plan, which has already cost hundreds of millions of pounds, will mean that people seeking safety in the UK are forcibly deported over 5,000 miles away to Rwanda. Under this plan, people will have their asylum claims processed in Rwanda and, if they are successfully granted refugee status, will be forced to settle there, rather than in the UK.
The Rwanda plan is part of this Government’s wider destruction of the right to seek asylum in the UK and the erasure of the human rights of those seeking sanctuary here.
People who are seeking asylum are fleeing for their lives from war, persecution, gender-based and sexual violence, trafficking and other torture. The threat of being flown to Rwanda won’t stop people from claiming asylum in the UK, but it will cause them further harm.
This Bill is in an inhumane, cruel and disproportionately expensive way to handle the asylum claims of people who desperately need a safe place to rebuild their lives. People seeking safety in the UK should have their claim heard in the UK, and the necessary support to heal and thrive as they rebuild their lives here.
As the Bill returns to the House of Lords, we urge Peers, as they have done many times before, to reject the Rwanda Bill.
Our Deputy Director, Andrea Vukovic, said:
At Women for Refugee Women, we are appalled that the UK Government has persistently pursued this cruel and harmful plan, despite its illegality and unworkability. We will continue to stand firm against this plan which threatens to dismantle the UK’s refugee protection system. As the Bill makes its way back to the House of Lords, we urge Peers to continue to reject it and to ensure the UK is a safe, supportive and welcoming place for people in need of safety.
The Supreme Court ruled the Rwanda Plan unlawful
On Wednesday 15th November the Supreme Court rejected the Government’s harmful Rwanda plan, and unanimously ruled that no-one seeking safety in the UK can be forcibly deported to Rwanda. The judgment is a resounding victory for all the organisations, individual claimants and legal professionals involved in the challenge, as well as everyone else who campaigned and took action.
Our Director Alphonsine Kabagabo said:
‘The Supreme Court ruling sends a powerful message to the Government about just how inhumane, illegal and cruel their asylum policies are. We know how terrifying threats like the Rwanda plan are for the women in our network, who have survived serious violence and trauma, and need safety and stability in order to recover and rebuild their lives. We must continue to stand strong against the Government’s plans to ignore the Supreme Court’s judgment. When we stand together, in resistance, hope and compassion, we can challenge cruelty and create change. Let’s show the Government that their harmful policies do not represent us.’
Suella Braverman's speech: How it harms women and LGBTQ+ people
Suella Braverman's speech: How it harms women and LGBTQ+ people
We strongly condemn Suella Braverman's speech today. The Refugee Convention, which was signed in 1951 following World War 2, makes no explicit mention of women or people who are LGBTQ+, but rightly, over time, the particular forms of persecution they face have been recognised by case law. Before these forms of persecution were recognised, women in our network like Anu who experienced extreme violence, rape and female genital mutilation, would not have been given refugee status - which could have had life or death consequences for her. Under Suella Braverman's vision of the asylum system, this would happen again.
Suella Braverman claimed today that 'simply being gay or a woman and fearful of discrimination in your country of origin is sufficient to qualify for protection'. As she well knows, this claim is false. To be granted asylum in the UK, you must prove well-founded fear of persecution. Braverman is deliberately spreading misinformation to whip up racism, hatred and fear about people seeking safety in order to score cheap political points. It is clear that she doesn't care who she harms in the process of doing this.
Her speech today is hypocritical. The Government have repeatedly stated its commitment to tackle violence against women and girls and support survivors of such. However, it seems this commitment doesn't apply to women who are seeking asylum, who have experienced serious violence and trauma, including sexual exploitation, forced marriage, female genital mutilation and rape.
Suella Braverman seeks to whip up hatred, division and fear. But we are better than this. We know that most people choose compassion and kindness. That we offer our hand to those in need of protection and welcome them into our communities. In the face of racism and hostility, we will continue to stand in solidarity with refugee and asylum-seeking women and support the women in our network to rebuild their lives in their UK.
Our Director, Alphonsine Kabagabo, says:
Suella Braverman’s speech today is dangerous. The Refugee Convention has rightly evolved since it was signed in 1951 following World War 2, to recognise the persecution of women and LGBTQ+ people. This expansion, which has happened via case law, is a good thing. It means that women and LGBTQ+ people are granted protection on the basis of gendered persecution, or on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity. Braverman’s attempt to minimise the persecution suffered by women and LGBTQ+ people could have life or death consequences.
The majority of women we support, including LGBTQ+ women, are survivors of persecution including gender-based abuse, sexual violence, rape and other torture. The Government may want to turn their backs on these women, but we never will. Instead of whipping up hate, fear and division, the Government should treat people seeking safety in the UK with compassion and kindness. How we treat people is who we are and Suella’s speech today sends a loud and clear message.
A huge congratulations to Agnes and Loraine for winning the Pioneer 20 award!
Women for Refugee Women are extremely proud to announce that Agnes Tanoh, our Spokesperson Facilitator, and Loraine Masiya Mponela, one of our trustees, have both won a Visa Everywhere Pioneer 20 award.
The award spotlights trailblazing refugee women who excel in their respective fields and have a meaningful impact in their communities - and Agnes and Loraine certainly do!
Agnes
In her home country of Cote d’Ivorie, Agnes was a high-ranking member of a political party, and personal assistant to the First Lady – a career which she loved and excelled at. But when civil war broke out in 2010, she had to flee to save her life.
Agnes waited 7 long years in the asylum system in the UK before receiving her refugee status, which included 3 months in immigration detention and experiencing homelessness.
Despite all that she has been through, Agnes channels her experiences into a positive force – to make change for other women like her. Agnes says, ‘No-one chooses to be an asylum-seeker. I never thought it would happen to me. I suffered so much for no reason. I won’t let any other women suffer like me.’
Agnes now wears many hats. She is Spokesperson Facilitator at Women for Refugee Women in which she supports a group of refugee and asylum-seeking women to develop their knowledge and skills on how to speak out, advocate, and campaign for change. She volunteers at Women With Hope in Birmingham, a charity supporting destitute refugee and asylum-seeking women, and supports individual women through the gruelling asylum process. Agnes also campaigns tirelessly against the hostile asylum process and is a passionate and inspiring campaigner, regularly speaking at protests, to the local and national media, and to parliamentarians. She also started her own petition against Derwentside, the main detention centre for women in the UK, in County Durham, which now has over 17,000 signatures. Agnes has become a real pillar of her community and is often affectionately referred to as 'Mama Agnes'.
Agnes said:
“I would like to express all my gratitude to Pioneer 20. Their awards recognise the value, the potential, the aptitudes that people seeking asylum have. It gives meaning to our existence in this country where the environment is increasingly hostile to those seeking safety, protection, security or simply a better life.
I also want to say thank you to all the organizations who believed in me while I was seeking asylum, these are organisations like Hope Project, Women With Hope, and Baobab, who I volunteered for during my long wait for my refugee status, to give back to other people like me who are in the process of waiting for their status.
I am particularly proud of Women For Refugee Women, who believed in me and my abilities as a campaigner. I can speak for my sisters, and inform the public about the harsh reality for people seeking asylum.
To the government, I want to say: We have skills, give us the opportunity to use them. We have a heart to give our love, our compassion and our support to all the people in our community.”
Loraine
Loraine, originally from Malawi, was studying in the UK at the University of Leeds, alongside working as a primary school teacher, when a change in her circumstances meant she had to claim asylum in the UK.
Whilst waiting for her refugee status, which took several years, Loraine was not allowed to work, study, or access any mainstream welfare support. She existed on just over £5 per day for food, toiletries, clothing, travel, and other needs.
Despite the difficulties that she has been through, Loraine has achieved, and continues to achieve so much as an inspiring leader, campaigner, and published poet!
Loraine balances many roles and responsibilities. Loraine has been a trustee at Women for Refugee Women since 2020, bringing her wealth of knowledge and her experience of claiming asylum in the UK to the Board. Previously, she was the Chair of the grassroots organisation, CARAG, which is based in Coventry and supports individuals who are subjected to hostile immigration policies in the UK. Loraine is also a founding member and one of the spokespeople for the Status Now 4 All network, which campaigns for undocumented migrants and migrants in the UK to be granted leave to remain. Loraine now works as a Network Community Worker at Migrant Voice. Alongside her campaigning, Loraine writes poetry about the hostile environment, which has been published in several anthologies.
Loraine said:
"I am very excited and happy and full of gratitude to Visa and We Are The City for giving me and people like me who have felt voiceless the opportunity; the chance to voice our personal journeys and share it with the world at large. I am truly humbled."
Our Director, Alphonsine Kabagabo, said:
I am delighted that my colleague Agnes and one of our trustees Loraine have been nominated to receive the Visa Everywhere Pioneer 20 award. Agnes and Loraine truly deserved the recognition, despite facing a lot of challenges in their journey to seek protection in UK, they have remained positive and have made a huge and meaningful impact in their new communities. They are both, without a doubt, great roles models for many other women going through the same challenges, and I am so proud to work alongside and know them both!
A huge congratulations to both incredible women. Their hard work, passion, resilience, and activism is an inspiration to us all!
Passage of the 'Illegal' Migration Act
Joint civil society statement on the passage of the Illegal Migration Act, July 2023
As a coalition of 290 organisations representing the human rights, migrants’ rights, refugee and asylum, anti-trafficking, children’s, violence against women and girls, LGBTQI+, disability rights, health, LGBTQI+, housing, racial justice, criminal justice, arts, international development, environment, democracy, pan-equality, faith, access to justice, and other sectors, we condemn the passage of the Illegal Migration Act today, and stand in solidarity with all who will be affected.
We all deserve to live safe from harm. But this senselessly cruel Act will have a devastating impact on people’s lives. It turns our country’s back on people seeking safety, blocking them from protection, support, and justice at a time they need it most.
In abandoning the UK’s moral and legal obligations, the Act risks breaching multiple international human rights treaties including the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights while shielding the Government from accountability. The UK Government has admitted that it cannot confirm if the Act is compatible with the UK’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Act will force people into situations that threaten their lives – whether by placing children in detention or sending people off to countries where their lives might be at grave risk. Moreover, the Act attacks the very core of human rights, which is the principle that we all have them regardless of who we are or where we are from. In stripping the most basic rights from people seeking safety and a better life, the Act dismantles human rights protections for all of us.
Either all of us have human rights, or none of us do. While the UK Government’s plans will harm those seeking safety the most, this is an attack on all of us and the values we hold dear.
The government has rushed through this law despite broad and deep opposition. But our fight is not over. As caring people, we will continue to fight for the right for people to seek safety and a better life without being forced to take dangerous journeys and without being punished for how they enter the UK. We will keep holding those in power to account for upholding the UK’s international obligations. We will strive for an asylum and immigration system that treats everyone with dignity and respect. We will stand in solidarity with and fight alongside everyone who makes the UK their home and build a society that treats everyone with compassion.
Alphonsine Kabagabo, Director, Women for Refugee Women, says:
I was lucky enough to receive protection when I needed it. I was welcomed and I was supported to rebuild my life. Now, under the ‘Illegal Migration Act’, women like me who are fleeing genocide, or war, rape, torture and trafficking will be prevented from seeking sanctuary here. This will undoubtedly place them at serious risk of further harm. Where is the compassion? Where is the humanity? Whilst we are extremely pleased that the Government has conceded to maintain the vital protection of the 72-hour time limit on the detention of pregnant women, we remain appalled and outraged by the ‘Illegal’ Migration Bill and its abject cruelty. We remain staunch in our fight against these hostile policies and are hopeful that one day compassion will win over racism, cruelty and callousness. Today’s stranger is tomorrow’s friend.
Signatories
1. Akiko Hart, Interim Director, Liberty
2. Alexandra Loupoukhine, Interim Executive Director, JCWI
3. Sonya Sceats, Chief Executive, Freedom from Torture
4. Joyce Kallevik, Director, WISH
5. Professor Robert Moore, NWREN
6. Eiri Ohtani, Director, Right to Remain
7. Alison Pickup, Director, Asylum Aid
8. Jess McQuail, Director, Just Fair
9. Julie Bishop, Director, Law Centres Network
10. Kyle Taylor, Founder, Fair Vote UK
11. Kerry Smith, CEO, Helen Bamber Foundation
12. Andrea Simon, Director, End Violence Against Women Coalition
13. Traci Kirkland, Head of Charity, Govan Community Project
14. Amber Bauer, CEO, forRefugees
15. Anna Rudd, Interim Director, ASSIST Sheffield
16. Jim McAuliffe, Chair, Lighthouse Relief
17. Robina Qureshi, Positive Action in Housing
18. Kayte Cable and Vicki Felgate, Co-founders, Big Leaf Foundation
19. Siân Summers-Rees, Chief Officer, City of Sanctuary UK
20. Christine Bacon, Co-Artistic Director, Ice and Fire Theatre
21. Mark Goldring, Director, Asylum Welcome
22. Shameem Ahmad, CEO, Public Law Project
23. Marguerite Hunter Blair, CEO, Play Scotland
24. Aderonke Apata, Founder and CEO, African Rainbow Family
25. Sarah Teather, Director, Jesuit Refugee Service UK
26. Amos Schonfield, CEO, Our Second Home
27. Emma Ginn, Director, Medical Justice
28. Mia Hassenson-Gross, Director, René Cassin
29. Katie Fennell, National Coordinator, KIND UK
30. Dr Shabna Begum and Laurence Jay, Interim Co-CEO's, Runnymede Trust
31. Stephanie Habib, Executive Team, English for Action (EFA) London
32. Anna MacDonald, Co-founder, Play for Progress
33. Dr Helen Taylor, Director, Stories and Supper
34. Anne Fox, CEO, Clinks
35. Liz Fekete, Director, Institute of Race Relations
36. Chris Jones, Director, Statewatch
37. Leila Zadeh, Executive Director, Rainbow Migration
38. Anna Jones, CEO & Co Founder, RefuAid
39. Shoaib M Khan, Partner, SMK Law Solicitors
40. William Gomes, Director, The William Gomes Podcast
41. Alphonsine Kabagabo, Director, Women for Refugee Women
42. Bridget Young, Director, NACCOM (No Accommodation Network)
43. Dr Ruth Allen, Chief Executive, British Association of Social Workers
44. Sebastian Rocca, CEO, Micro Rainbow
45. Anber Raz, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Imkaan
46. Naomi Webb, Executive Director, Good Chance Theatre
47. Zara Mohammed, Secretary-General, Muslim Council of Britain
48. Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, Moderator of General Assembly, United Reformed
Church
49. Trustee, Waltham Forest Migrant Action
50. Rosario Guimba-Stewart, CEO, Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network (LRMN)
51. Mel Steel, Director, Voices in Exile
52. Lis Murphy, Creative Director, Music Action International
53. Mariko Hayashi, Executive Director, Southeast and East Asian Centre (SEEAC)
54. Zrinka Bralo, CEO, Migrants Organise
55. Fizza Qureshi, CEO, Migrants’ Rights Network
56. Robbie de Santos, Director of External Affairs, Stonewall
57. Sally Daghlian OBE, CEO, Praxis
58. Emily Crowley, Chief Executive, Student Action for Refugees (STAR)
59. Peter Marsden, CEO, Concordis International
60. Lara Parizotto & Alex Bulat, Co-Directors, Migrant Democracy Project
61. Tim Naor Hilton, Chief Executive, Refugee Action
62. Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive, Amnesty International UK
63. Anthea Sully, Chief Executive, White Ribbon UK
64. Souad Talsi MBE, Founder and Interim CEO, Al-Hasaniya Moroccan Women's Project
Ltd
65. Hugh Russell, Chief Executive, Children in Wales - Plant Yng Nghymru
66. Comfort Etim, Director, Refugee Women Connect
67. James Wilson, Director, Detention Action
68. Revd Gill Newton, President of the Methodist Conference
69. Joanne MacInnes, West London Welcome
70. Kerry Scarlett, Vice-President of the Methodist Conference
71. Natasha Eeles, CEO & Founder, Bold Voices
72. Dianna Nammi, Executive Director, IKWRO
73. Alison, JURIES
74. Christine Allen, Director, CAFOD
75. Catharine Walston, Chair of Core Committee, Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign
76. Marissa Green, Chair of Trustees, Cambridge Convoy Refugee Action Group
77. Jayne Butler, CEO, Rape Crisis England and Wales
78. Marchu Belete & Sarah Cutler, Co-directors, Migration Exchange
79. Aké Achi, Founding Chief Executive, Migrants At Work
80. Aké Achi, CEO, Black Europeans
81. Shaminder Ubhi, Director, Ashiana Network
82. Yasmine Ahmed, UK Director, Human Rights Watch
83. Angie Herrera, Director, Latin American Women’s Aid (LAWA)
84. Harriet Wistrich, Director, Centre for Women’s Justice
85. Iona Taylor, Advocacy and Campaigns Lead, Positive Action in Housing
86. Emma Hutton, CEO, JustRight Scotland
87. Nick Watts, Director, Together with Migrant Children
88. Ruth Davison, CEO, Refuge
89. Mollin Delve, CEO, PHOEBE
90. Enver Solomon, CEO, Refugee Council
91. Sabrina Qureshi, Founder and Coordinator, Million Women Rise Movement
92. Jo Cobley, CEO, Young Roots
93. Laura Tomson and Rachel Adamson, Co-Directors, Zero Tolerance
94. Steven Smith, CEO, Care4Calais
95. Kathy Evans, Chief Executive, Children England
96. Indy Cross, Chief Executive Officer, Agenda Alliance
97. Shari Brown, Partnership and Development Manager, Refugee and Migrant Centre
(West Midlands)
98. Kate Roberts, Head of Policy, FLEX
99. Selma Taha, Executive Director, Southall Black Sisters
100. Estelle Du Boulay, Director, Rights of Women
101. Rita Gava, Kalayaan
102. Natalie Collins, CEO, Own My Life
103. Jason Thomas-Fournillier, Senior Administrator, Spectrum Rainbow Community
104. Gisela Valle, Director, LAWRS
105. Catherine Gladwell, Chief Executive, Refugee Education UK
106. Barbara Drozdowicz, CEO, East European Resource Centre
107. Lucy Nabijou, Coordinator, Haringey Welcome
108. Dr David Brown, Chair, Birmingham City of Sanctuary
109. Josie Naughton, CEO, Choose Love
110. Danielle Roberts, Senior Policy and Development Officer, Here NI
111. Khedijah Mohammed-Nur, Cofounder, Network of Eritrean Women-UK
112. Rupert Skilbeck, Director, REDRESS
113. Sophie Neuburg, Director, Medact
114. Sharon Erdman, CEO, RASASC
115. Ghadah Alnasseri, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Hibiscus Initiatives
116. Maddy Crowther, Co-Executive Director, Waging Peace
117. Laura Kyrke-Smith, Executive Director, International Rescue Committee UK
118. Eleanor Brown, CEO, CARAS
119. Jane Lees, CEO, Communityworks
120. Jo Benefield, Campaign Coordinator, Bristol Defend the Asylum Seekers Campaign
121. Nicola David, Founder, One Life to Live
122. Chris Rose, Chair, Craven District of Sanctuary
123. Ben Gilchrist, Chief Executive, Caritas Shrewsbury
124. Skipton Refugee Support Group
125. Ailsa Dunn Secretary to Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for refugees
126. Revd Canon Helen Cameron, Moderator, Free Churches Group
127. Zita Holbourne, BARAC UK
128. Angie Pedley, Treasurer, Settle Area Refugee Support
129. Rosie MacPherson, Artistic Director and Joint CEO, Stand and Be Counted Theatre
130. Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs OBE, CEO, Surviving Economic Abuse
131. Astrid Laich, Secretary, Bournville Amnesty
132. Kush Chottera, CEO, Europia
133. Jeremy Thompson, Manager, Restore - a project of Birmingham Churches Together
134. Anna Pincus, Director, Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group
135. Tess Berry-Hart, Director, Citizens of the World Choir
136. Georgina Fletcher, Chief Executive, Regional Refugee Forum North East
137. Zlakha Ahmed, Chief Executive, Apna Haq
138. Refugee and Migrant Partner Lead, Sector 3
139. Mike Wild, Chief Executive, Macc
140. Christopher Desira, Director, Seraphus
141. Amanda Church-Mcfarlane, Co-CEO, Abigail Housing
142. Professor Jenny Phillimore, Institute for Research into Superdiversity, University of
Birmingham
143. Revd. Ian Rutherford, City Centre Minister, Methodist Central Hall Manchester
144. District Ecumenical Officer, Greater Manchester Churches Together
145. Paul Parker, Recording Clerk, Quakers in Britain
146. Martin Drewry, CEO, Health Poverty Action
147. Mick Taylor, Project Coordinator, Support for Wigan Arrivals Project
148. Gail Heath, CEO, Pankhurst Trust
149. Miranda Reilly, Director, AVID
150. Hayley Nelson BEM, Director, Learn for Life Enterprise
151. Vivienne Hayes, CEO, WRC
152. Vicar, St Paul’s Church
153. Richy Thompson, Director of Public Affairs and Policy, Humanists UK
154. Jan Foster, Trustee, Doncaster Conversation Club
155. Jo Todd, CEO, Respect
156. Jamie Balfour-Paul, Founder and Performing Magician, Magic for Smiles
157. Sarah Lange, Lead Coordinator, Wyre Forest Supports Asylum Seekers
158. Catherine Mackle, Director, Community Welcome cic
159. Angus Clark, Chief Executive - Herts for Refugees
160. Phil Kerton, Co-Director, Seeking Sanctuary
161. Lisa-Marie Taylor, CEO, FiLiA
162. Warren Elf MBE, Co-Chair, Faith Network for Manchester
163. Sara Alsherif, Migrant Digital Justice Programme Manager, Open Rights group
164. Charlie Zosseder, Director, Samphire
165. Martin Cosarinsky Campos, Managing Director, Breadwinners
166. Tom Cheesman, Trustee, Swansea Asylum Seekers Support
167. Sanchita Hosali, CEO, British Institute of Human Rights
168. Nathan D Ndlovu, Chairman, CARAG
169. Kevin Hanratty, Director, Northern Ireland Human Rights Consortium
170. Ian Hodson, National President, BFAWU
171. Mauricio Silva - Inter-Religious Coordinator, Columbans in Britain
172. Bishop Mike Royal, General Secretary, Churches Together in England
173. Joan Hoult, CEO, Walking With in North Tyneside
174. Johannah Dyer, Chair, Bromsgrove and District Asylum Seeker Support
175. Patrick O'Dowd, Director, Caritas Diocese of Salford
176. Dr Pat Bond, Chair, New to the UK, North Shields
177. Barbara Hungin, Chair of Trustees, Justice First
178. Programme Development Director, Railway Children
179. Jabbar Hasan, Director, Iraqi Association
180. Paul Hook, Director, Asylum Matters
181. Revd Jide Macaulay, Founder & CEO House of Rainbow CIC
182. Stephanie Neville, Project Manager
183. Dr Ruvi Ziegler, Chair, New Europeans UK
184. Robert Hooper, Pastor, Oasis church
185. Abigail Martin, Manager, St Chad's Sanctuary
186. Darren Knight, Chief Executive, George House Trust
187. Toni Soni, Centre Director, Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre
188. Imogen McIntosh, Aid Box Community
189. Victoria Marks, Director, Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit (ATLEU)
190. Manuchehr Maleki, Co-Chair, SYMAAG
191. Stuart Crosthwaite, Secretary, SYMAAG
192. The Revd Steve Faber, Moderator, URC West Midlands Synod
193. Misak Ohanian, CEO, Centre for Armenian Information and Advice
194. Stan Beneš, Managing Director, Opora
195. M Fahim, Manager, Afghan community and welfare centre
196. Dr Paul Martin OBE, LGBT Foundation
197. Nazee Akbari, CEO, New Citizens' Gateway
198. Rebecca Stevenson – Read - Centre Manager, St Vincent's Centre Newcastle upon
Tyne
199. Zoe Gardner, National Committee, Another Europe is Possible
200. Nicholas Prescott, Project Manager, Fallowfield & Withington Foodbank
201. Seana Roberts, Manager, Merseyside Refugee Support Network
202. Seana Roberts, Administrator, Liverpool City of Sanctuary
203. Rabbi Warren Elf MBE, Rabbi, Southend and District Reform Synagogue
204. Ros Holland, Chief Exec, Boaz Trust
205. Nick Beales, RAMFEL
206. Lara Bundock, CEO, Snowdrop Project
207. Andrea Cleaver, CEO, Welsh Refugee Council
208. Ailsa MacKenzie, Chief Officer, The Pyramid at Anderston
209. Rachel Wing, Treasurer/Co Ordinator, Refugee and Asylum Seeker Project, Stockton
on Tees
210. David Weaver, Chair, Operation Black Vote
211. Lee Jasper, Co-founder, Blaksox
212. Efi Stathopoulou, Programmes Manager, Refugee Legal Support
213. Vicar, St Paul’s Church Birmingham
214. Kat Lorenz, Director, Asylum Support Appeals Project
215. Denise McDowell, CEO, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit
216. Elham Kashefi, Tara Centre
217. Maria Brul, Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Children and Families Across Borders
218. Katie Morrison, CEO, Safe Passage
219. Nazek Ramadan, Migrant Voice, Director
220. Daniel Sohege, Director, Stand For All
221. Stephanie Draper, Chief Executive, Bond
222. Revd Kate Gray, The United Reformed Church, Wythenshawe
223. Paddy Kelly, Director, Children’s Law Centre
224. Clare Moody, Joint CEO, Equally Ours
225. Sampson Low, Head of Policy, UNISON
226. Frank Parnham, Secretary, Barnsley Borough City of Sanctuary
227. Salma Ravat, CEO, One Roof Leicester
228. Dr Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive, Mind
229. Yvonne Rendell, Chair, Bromsgrove and Redditch Welcome Refugees
230. Karen Parry, Chief Executive, Inclusion North
231. Christine Rose Chair of the Core Group,Craven District of Sanctuary
232. Beatrice Giaquinto, Director, Nottingham Arimathea Trust
233. Gwen Hines, Chief Executive, Save the Children
234. Jennifer Nadel and Matt Hawkins, Co-Directors, Compassion in Politics
235. Andrew Belfield, Mosaic Justice Network
236. Kamran Mallick, CEO, Disability Rights UK
237. Liz Millman, North Wales Jamaica Society
238. Liz Millman, Learning Links International CIC
239. Garrick Prayogg project Manager, Cultural Diversity Network
240. Rev. Dr. Joseph D Cortis coordinator of Caritas Leeds
241. Zoe Bantleman, Legal Director, Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA)
242. CEO, Cast – Communities and Sanctuary Seekers Together
243. Jane Grimshaw, Convener, Hastings Supports Refugees
244. Sarah Hayes, Vicar, St Germains Church Birmingham
245. Polly Gifford, Co-Chair, Hastings Community of Sanctuary
246. Ernie Whalley, Chair, Reach group, New North Road Baptist Church, Huddersfield
247. Mojgan Bakhtiary, Development Manager, Taban
248. Louise King, Director, Children’s Rights Alliance for England
249. Alison Page, Chief Executive, Salford CVS
250. Jo Walby, Chief Executive Officer, Salford CVS
251. Aleema Shivji, Chief Impact Officer, Oxfam GB
252. Gill Kelly, Chair, Wolverhampton City of Sanctuary
253. Rose Caldwell, CEO, Plan International UK
254. Frank Forman, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum
255. Alex, General Advice Coordinator, Manchester Refugee Support Network
256. Revd Sarah Jemison (Chair of Trustees), BEACON (Bradford Ecumenical Asylum Concern)
257. Pauline Mary Ruth. Chair of Trustees. Trinity Safe Space Charity
258. Abi Brunswick, Director, Project 17
259. Dr Arabella Hamilton, Lay Chair of the Parochial Church Council
260. Sian Summers-Rees, Chief Officer, City of Sanctuary UK
261. Amy Lythgoe, Trustee, Together Now
262. Miriam Turner and Hugh Knowles, Co-Executive Directors, Friends of the Earth (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
263. Mark Russell, CEO, The Children's Society
264. Humma Nizami, Executive Director, Race Equality Network
265. Jonathan Senker, CEO, VoiceAbility
266. Joanna Ewart-James, Executive Director, Freedom United
267. Michael Mark, Trustee, The Cotton Tree Trust
268. Areeba Hamid, Co-Executive Director, Greenpeace UK
269. Andreea Dumitrache, Interim Co-CEO, the3million
270. Stephanie Grimshaw, Head of Public Affairs and Policy, Welsh Women's Aid
271. Saqib Deshmukh, Interim Chief Executive, AYJ
272. Joseph Kiwango, Manager, Revive
273. Tufail Hussain, UK Director, Islamic Relief
274. Eleni Venaki, Director, The Comfrey Project
275. Amanda Littlewood, Refugees & Mentors CIC
276. Sabir Zazai, Chief Executive, Scottish Refugee Council
277. Úna Boyd, Committee on the Administration of Justice
278. Eleonora Fais, Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group Coordinator, ATMG
279. Rev Lynn Green, General Secretary, Baptist Union of Great Britain
280. Emma Hawthorne, Chair, BIRCH
281. Simon Tyler, Executive Director, Doctors of the World UK
282. Laura, Director, Horton Community Farm
283. Phil Davis, Director, Hope Projects
284. Sally Hyman, founder and CEO, CRIBS International
285. Mark Courtice (Chair), Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group
286. Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary, NASUWT Teachers' Union
287. Trustee, Louth Churches for Refugees
288. Jessica Davidson-Egan, Director, Refugee Welcome Homes
289. Andrew Evans, CEO, METRO Charitye
290. Nick Harborne, CEO, Refugee Support Group
Great news! The 72-hour time limit on the detention of pregnant women is maintained
Following the resounding vote in the House of Lords last week, the Government has agreed to maintain the 72-hour time limit on the detention of pregnant women. This small but vital amendment will protect pregnant women and their unborn babies from the harms of indefinite detention.
We are extremely grateful to the Peers who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the time limit for pregnant women remains in place. In particular, Baroness Lister who tabled the amendment in the Lords, and Baroness Sugg, Baroness Gohir and the Bishop of Gloucester who supported it.
We are also extremely grateful to our friends at Medical Justice, Birth Companions, The Royal College of Midwives, The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the British Medical Association and Maternity Action who have worked alongside us to preserve the time limit. We couldn't have done this without their support and solidarity!
Alphonsine Kabagabo, Director, Women for Refugee Women, says:
Whilst we are extremely pleased that the Government has agreed to maintain the vital protection of the 72-hour time limit on the detention of pregnant women, we remain appalled and outraged by the ‘Illegal’ Migration Bill and its abject cruelty. Under the Bill, women who have survived rape, torture and trafficking will be prevented from seeking sanctuary here, placing them at serious risk of further harm. We remain staunch in our fight against these hostile policies and hopeful that compassion will win over racism, cruelty and callousness.
Putting Ourselves in the Picture: Rainbow Sisters Virtual Gallery!
Putting Ourselves in the Picture
To celebrate Pride Month, we're showcasing our Rainbow Sisters' work in the form of a virtual gallery!
Rainbow Sisters is our supportive, welcoming and confidential group for lesbian, bisexual and trans women, and non-binary people seeking asylum. The group comes together weekly and meets a real need for a safe space for LGBTQ+ women and individuals to feel supported to understand and celebrate their sexuality and who they are.
Seven members of our Rainbow Sisters group worked with Autograph and Fast Forward: Women in Photography to create powerful pieces that told their stories. You can view their work here:
Click here to view the gallery!
Support our Rainbow Sisters and make a difference.
Campaign win! All legal advice surgeries in immigration detention must now take place face-to-face.
Following the legal challenge launched by Women for Refugee Women last year, on the lack of access to in-person legal advice for women locked up in Derwentside detention centre in County Durham, it has been announced that all legal advice surgeries in immigration detention must now take place face-to-face.
This change came into force on Monday 3rd April 2023, and marks an important and welcome recognition of the inadequacies of legal advice delivered by telephone or videocall in detention centres. We are extremely pleased that individuals who are detained will be able to receive face-to-face legal advice and meaningful access to justice.
We launched our legal challenge in February 2022, shortly after Derwentside opened, and were represented by Toufique Hossain, Shalini Patel and Emma Dawson of Duncan Lewis Solicitors, who instructed Alex Goodman and Miranda Butler of Landmark Chambers. SPM, a woman who was detained in Derwentside last year and struggled to access legal advice while there, was our co-claimant in the challenge. She is represented by Lily Parrott of Duncan Lewis Solicitors.
Following a two-day hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in June 2022, our case was unfortunately not upheld. Just prior to this hearing, however, the Home Office announced it had secured in-person legal advice for Derwentside, to begin from July 2022.
Recent figures indicate the majority of appointments taking place under the Detained Duty Advice Scheme (legal advice surgeries in detention) at Derwentside are now happening in person. Although half of legal advice appointments outside the Detained Duty Advice Scheme at Derwentside are still happening remotely, we hope this will improve soon.
The importance of access to in-person legal advice also now appears to have been formally recognised by the Home Office and Legal Aid Agency, with the announcement that from 3rd April all legal advice surgeries in all immigration detention centres must take place face-to-face.
Women for Refugee Women will continue to fight for Derwentside to be shut down, and for an end to all immigration detention. While anyone continues to be locked up in detention, however, access to face-to-face legal advice is essential to ensuring people’s cases are given a fair hearing and to allow meaningful access to justice.
Alphonsine Kabagabo, Director of Women for Refugee Women, said:
This about-turn by the Government on the issue of face-to-face legal advice shows that campaigning works. As the so-called ‘Illegal Migration Bill’ progresses through Parliament, we should take strength from this success and remember it is possible to stop the injustices and harms the Government wants to inflict. Love and compassion will always win over racism, callousness and cruelty.
Shalini Patel, Public Law Solicitor at Duncan Lewis, said:
This is a great win for the many women detained at Derwentside IRC. All along we have argued the importance and necessity for these vulnerable women to have access to face-to-face legal visits. The Home Office has essentially conceded, albeit this could have been avoided. There are potentially many women who did not have access to the legal advice they should have been entitled to and their cases may have been impacted by this.
Recent figures indicate that the majority of Detained Duty Advice Scheme appointments at Derwentside are now taking place in person. We hope this is the first step to ensuring all legal advice appointments, including those outside of the Detained Duty Advice Scheme, happen face-to-face.
We know that campaigning works. The ‘Illegal Migration Bill’, which is currently going through Parliament, will prevent people fleeing persecution who arrive in the UK by ‘irregular’ means (such as small boat) from claiming asylum here. Instead they will be locked up in detention indefinitely, while the Government attempts to remove them to their country of origin or a so-called ‘safe third country’, such as Rwanda.
Women for Refugee Women is particularly concerned about proposals in the Bill to disapply the 72-hour time limit on pregnant women’s detention, introduced in 2016, and detain pregnant women who arrive ‘irregularly’ in the UK indefinitely.
Please contact your MP to ask them to speak out against these proposals by clicking here.
Although our challenge to the lack of in-person legal advice at Derwentside was not upheld by the High Court, SPM, our co-claimant, was granted permission to appeal by the Court of Appeal, on Ground 1, which focuses on access to justice. The appeal hearing is listed for May 2023.
Updated May 2023 - Joint briefing on the ‘Illegal Migration Bill’: Take action against the proposed new powers to detain pregnant women indefinitely
Women for Refugee Women, Birth Companions, British Medical Association, Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Medical Justice and Maternity Action have prepared a joint briefing on the 'Illegal Migration Bill'.
Under the new 'Illegal Migration Bill', women fleeing persecution who arrive in the UK via 'irregular' means will be prevented from claiming asylum and detained indefinitely, with no exemption for those who are pregnant, removing the vital protection introduced by the 2016 72-hour time limit on the detention of pregnant women.
Being locked up and deprived of your liberty is distressing and harmful for anyone. For
women who are pregnant, however, the impact of detention can be particularly acute:
- The Royal College of Midwives has said: 'The detention of pregnant asylum seekers increases the likelihood of stress, which can risk the health of the unborn baby.'
- In his 2016 review of the welfare of vulnerable people in immigration detention, Stephen Shaw explained: 'That detention has an incontrovertibly deleterious effect on the health of pregnant women and their unborn children... I take to be a statement of the obvious.'
- Healthcare in immigration detention if often very poor. The antenatal care and support provided to women who are detained has often fallen short of the care normally available to pregnant women.
- Research by Medical Justice found that in Yarl's Wood, women often missed antenatal appointments; some women had no ultrasound scans while detained; and women did not have direct access to a midwife and could not request visits.
We cannot go back to what was happening before 2016, when many pregnant women were being detained for weeks, and sometimes months on end, with no idea of when they would be released.
For further information, please contact Gemma at gemma@refugeewomen.co.uk