Monday, September 05, 2005

Ugandan asylum seekers being deported from the UK?

Today, I came across a post at Uganda Anarchism entitled "Uganda women to be traded by UK & Uganda governments" and do not know what to make of it. Parts of the post make serious accusations of asylum seekers' ill treatment in the UK. Note this excerpt:
"They dump us in detention centres where we suffer again from poor medical attention, bad food, harassment and sexual intimidation by male staff, false accusations and racism causing us more trauma. We have been denied the opportunity to make our claims properly through cuts in legal aid, negligent or even corrupt lawyers, and racism and sexism in decisions refusing our claims.

Some of us have been forced onto planes with the most appalling brutality and regardless of the justice of our claim. Women are continuing to fight for our rights and against deportation - we deserve safe accommodation not imprisonment, because we are not criminals, we are simply asylum seekers who deserve protection under international law. It would be better to die in a British rather than a Ugandan detention centre."
Corrupt lawyers? Appalling brutality? Considering everything else they say about their treatment UK, they make it sound worse than Uganda, the country they fear returning to. If their experience in the UK is as bad, which I do not believe for one moment, why do they want to stay? I hesitated at posting a link to this report but could not bear to ignore it, just incase someone, somewhere on the Internet reads this and may be able to help somehow, even to help the people concerned when they arrive back in Uganda.

Making serious claims of maltreatment, brutality, corruption, etc., within a country in which one is fighting to stay does not seem at all sensible. British authorities will know such allegations are a nonsense which casts doubt on the truth of their reasons for claiming asylum. All I know is I certainly could not do the job of an immigration officer. I would find it all too heartbreaking and let everyone in. It must be very difficult for everyone involved. I am sorry to read about anyone in such a predicament and hope things work out for the best for all concerned. God bless them all.

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