Promoting the rights of women seeking asylum in the UK
MOTHERLAND
Women and children behind bars in the UK. Hear their voices. Show you care.
Motherland will be returning on Monday 10 November 2008. A performance in Westminster in Portcullis House will bring the stories of women and children who have been detained to the heart of government.
This event is supported by the Children's Society, The New Statesman, Bail for Immigration Detainees and Refugee Action.
For details and how to book email wrw@womankind.org.uk
On 16th 2006 at the ICA in London, Women for Refugee Women brought together women refugees and invited women from the media, politics, law and the arts to raise awareness of the injustice faced by women refugees in the UK.
The women only event was attended by over 100 women. An opening speech by Oona King, former MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, set the scene for the evening by describing how the Home Office and the courts were failing to recognise the persecution faced by women asylum seekers.
A film, directed by Jenny Abbott, showed four women asylum seekers talking about the horrific events that forced them to flee their homes, and the despair they experienced on having their claims for asylum turned down in the UK.
Actresses Fiona Shaw, Juliet Stevenson and Thusitha Jayasundera then read scripts prepared by Sonja Linden from the real experiences of refugee women who decided they did not want to speak themselves. Two of these women were present in the audience.
The culmination of the event was three refugee women speakers; Farhat Khan from Pakistan, Harriet Angyangokolo from Uganda, and Peace from the All-African Women's Group at the Crossroads Women's Centre. Their courageous and powerful speeches were clear calls to action for women in the UK to support asylum seeker women in their pursuit of justice.
The evening raised some money that will be used to support further campaigning activities and be contributed to self-help activities by the All-African Women's Group. (Further donations can be sent to: Women for Refugee Women, c/o Womankind Worldwide, 2nd Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT).
Signatures supporting the call for the Home Office to recognise gender based persecution in asylum claims were collected and will be sent to the new Home Secretary.
On 14th March 2007, Women for Refugee Women brought together individual asylum seekers, and women from organisations working in this field, at a consultation meeting at Garden Court Chambers in London.
Cristel Amiss from Black Women's Rape Action Project, Rita from the All African Women's Group, Debora Singer from the Refugee Women's Resource Project, Farhat Khan from Women Asylum Seekers Together, Sue Arnall from Castaways campaign spoke about the current state of campaigning and how women can work more effectively together.
Paul Lewis, Guardian journalist; Melanie McFadyean, freelance journalist and lecturer at City University; Caroline Moorehead, author of Human Cargo, and Diane Taylor, freelance journalist and author of Catch Me Before I Fall spoke about writing about asylum issues and discussed how journalists and asylum seekers can work together more effectively.
Wendy Pettifer from the College of Law and Sonia Routledge from Birnberg Peirce spoke about legal developments and the barriers to women asylum seekers in accessing quality legal representation.
If you would like to hear more about the consultation meeting and the campaigning work that was discussed, please email us on wrw@womankind.org.uk