AN*
AN was arrested in his home country alongside a family member who had been involved in anti-government protests. He was detained and tortured and only released on bail after signing a false 'confession' of involvement in anti-government activities. He fled the country and immediately claimed asylum in the UK in 2010. He was initially detained while his claim was considered, but released after a month and referred to Freedom from Torture.
Since then, AN has stayed with family members while his asylum claim is processed and only claimed 'Section 95' support from the Home Office to help cover his essential subsistence costs. He began to receive this after a delay of two to three months, during which time he was entirely dependent on his family for financial support.
After nearly two years, AN has still not received a decision on his asylum claim, despite submitting medical evidence of the torture to which he was subjected. It became difficult to live together with his family in their one bedroom flat after the arrival of a new baby. He therefore applied for Home Office accommodation. However, the only accommodation he was offered was in another city which would have been far from both Freedom from Torture, where he receives clinical treatment, and his family who provide him with emotional support. Although his living situation was very difficult, he did not feel well enough to live alone and his family persuaded him to stay despite the hardship for them all.
The financial support provided by the Home Office - around £35 per week - has not been enough to cover his basic expenses and AN has struggled to manage over the two years he has been waiting for a decision on his asylum claim. He finds it especially difficult to pay for bus fares and is often isolated in the flat with nothing to do and nowhere to go. These living conditions have impacted on his mental health and he struggles to follow clinical advice about how to recover from torture, including the need for social interaction. He has to 'report' every month to a Home Office reporting centre and although his attendance record was good, on the few occasions when he was not able to get there through ill health, he was 'sanctioned' and lost his weekly support.
His family try to help him but their own limited resources are already stretched to the limit. AN is not able to pursue his studies while his asylum claim is being considered and he feels that he has lost direction and control over his life.
* Names and other potentially identifying details have not been used in order to preserve anonymity as agreed with research participants.
Jackson
Listen to Jackson – a member of both the Survivors Speak Out (SSO) network and the advisory group which we created to guide our research – speak about his own experiences of trying to survive in the UK and the impact of this on his long-term recovery. After being tortured in a southern African country, Jackson came to the UK in 2002 in search of protection and was unable to work or support himself for 10 years.
http://soundcloud.com/freefromtorture/jackson-poverty
VA*
When VA arrived in the UK in 2006, she could not speak English and found the language barrier a real problem. After claiming asylum, she was sent to live in Home Office accommodation in another part of the UK away from London where others from her home country lived. She was not interviewed about her asylum claim for a year after her application, partly because of the problem of finding an interpreter who spoke her language. Her asylum claim and subsequent appeal were refused.
VA's financial support was stopped at this point and she was evicted from her accommodation with 28 days notice. VA had nowhere else to go so stayed with other asylum seekers in accommodation centres, though this meant the risk of eviction and sometimes sharing a bed. VA found this situation extremely distressing and stressful. She frequently saw friends being detained for removal to their home country. She found it terrifying when the Home Office officials would enter the accommodation forcefully, making arrests, and fighting to put people in handcuffs, amidst screaming and shouting. VA suffered frequent nightmares and was constantly afraid that she would be discovered and sent back to her country. She could not understand why she, and others like her, were made to feel like criminals when they had come to the UK to seek protection from torture and other forms of persecution.
For three years, VA had no financial support or safe place to live. She was totally dependent on others, including asylum seekers and local voluntary organisations. She became very unwell and initially tried to cope by isolating herself. VA was gradually supported to go out, to learn English and to volunteer for local charities. Eventually her English improved and she found it helpful to keep busy and be involved with the local community.
In 2011, VA was finally able to find a lawyer who could help her make a fresh asylum claim. She was able to submit a report from Freedom from Torture which described and evidenced the torture she had suffered. This took time to prepare as she needed many counselling sessions before she was able to disclose details of what she had experienced. Some months later, and five years after her arrival, she was granted permission to live in the UK.
VA was found to be in 'priority need' of housing because of her health problems and continuing vulnerability and now has a safe place to live. She is very keen to support herself and is currently looking for a job while attending college three days per week.
* Names and other potentially identifying details have not been used in order to preserve anonymity as agreed with research participants.
