Promoting the rights of women seeking asylum in the UK
Who we are
Women Asylum Seekers Together London outing to the British Museum, April 2010.
Women for Refugee Women was founded in 2006 by Sarah Cutler, who is now Head of Policy and Campaigns at the Refugee Council, and Natasha Walter, who is now WRW’s Co-ordinator.
Sarah Cutler
Sarah Cutler is the Head of Policy and Campaigns at the Refugee Council. She was previously Assistant Director (Policy) at Bail for Immigration Detainees. Sarah has conducted research and campaigns on issues of women and families in immigration detention, and access to legal representation. She was seconded to the Greater London Authority in 2006 working on the Mayor's refugee integration strategy. In 2005, she was employed part time by Amnesty International to write a policy chapter for their research on detention. Sarah is on the steering group for the Medical Justice Network.
Natasha Walter
Natasha Walter is a writer and broadcaster, who has worked for the Guardian, the Independent and the Observer. She is the author of The New Feminism (1998); her new book, Living Dolls, is published February 2010.
We have a board of trustees who are actively involved in WRW’s work and governance:
Maggie Baxter (chair)
Maggie Baxter is the ex-director of Womankind Worldwide. She has been Deputy Chief Executive and Grants Director at Comic Relief. She was seconded while at Comic Relief to set up the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. Prior to that she was London adviser to the Baring Foundation, and a grants officer in the Grants Unit of Camden Council. Maggie is also a trustee of the Hilden Charitable Fund, and Green Belt Movement International. She recently founded Rosa, the new UK women’s fund.
Rayah Feldman
Rayah Feldman is the co-ordinator of the Hackney Migrant Centre, a drop-in centre for asylum seekers and other new migrants in Hackney. She was formerly a lecturer in social sciences and is now a freelance researcher, with a special interest in refugee and women's health.
Maria Margaronis
Maria Margaronis is a journalist and writer. She has written about refugee issues for various publications, including The Guardian and The Nation , where she is London correspondent. She has also worked for some years at the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, mentoring clients in journalism and in creative writing.
Trude Ndagire
Trude Ndagire came to the UK from Uganda to seek asylum in 2001 when she was 17. She was detained twice with her young children. She has been working with Women for Refugee Women, Bail for Immigration Detainees, and other organisations to campaign for the rights of women and children asylum seekers. She has spoken at many meetings, including Parliamentary meetings organised by the No Place for A Child campaign. She is a co-founder of the Women Asylum Seekers Together London self-help group. She was given leave to remain in 2009.
Marjorie Nshemere
Marjorie Nshemere came to the UK from Uganda to seek asylum in 2002. She worked in Uganda as a women’s representative in local government and was imprisoned and tortured for her political activities. She has spoken at many campaigning events, including the 2007 STAR (Student Action for Refugees) conference and the Independent Asylum Commission London roadshow. She was given leave to remain in 2008. She is co-founder of the Women Asylum Seekers Together London self-help group.
Ursula Owen
Ursula Owen is the chair of the Free Word centre for literature and free expression. She worked as an editor in publishing houses before co-founding Virago Press in 1974, where she worked as editorial director and then managing director until 1990. She was cultural policy adviser to the Labour party from 1990 to 1992 and editor in chief of Index on Censorship from 1993 to 2007.
Liz Page (treasurer)
Liz Page is the UK Director of the South Eastern territory for the British Red Cross, responsible for the range of services provided in London and the South East. This includes support to refugees and asylum seekers. Prior to joining the Red Cross, Liz worked in the commercial sector.
Amanda Shah
Amanda Shah is assistant director (policy) of Bail for Immigration Detainees. She was previously a researcher at the Immigration Advisory Service and project officer at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies.
Debora Singer
Debora Singer has been Co-ordinator of the Refugee Women’s Resource Project at Asylum Aid since May 2004. The project aims to enable women fleeing serious human rights violations to gain protection in the UK through its casework, research and campaigning. Debora is currently running an innovative campaign to get the Home Office to implement its own policy on women’s asylum claims.