Finally Safe
Experiences of women in asylum accommodation in Birmingham
Refugee Rights Europe, Meena Centre and Baobab Womens' Project November 2018
Within the context of the Home Office re-tendering process for asylum accommodation contracts, Refugee Rights Europe, in collaboration with MEENA Centre for Women and Children and the Baobab Women’s Project in Birmingham, release a new report regarding asylum accommodation provision for asylum-seeking women in Britain.
The report lays bare the fact that much remains to be done by the Home Office and its contractors in order to ensure safe, hygienic and dignified housing for asylum-seekers in Britain, and calls for serious efforts by the Home Office to ensure a transparent approach in which accommodation providers are held to account over the coming years.
Snapshot of key findings:
41% of respondents did not feel safe inside the accommodation.
50% of respondents said they found their accommodation ‘dirty’ or ‘very dirty’ when they moved in.
66% of respondents reporting that they had seen vermin.
31% of respondents reported having witnessed violence within the accommodation.
24% of respondents did not know where the fire exit was located.
29% of respondents said that they had signed a document when moving in, which they did not understand. They were either scared of asking questions, or too desperate to finally move in.
32% of respondents did not feel safe raising complaints about their accommodation to their landlord or housing officer, the majority of them because they were afraid of losing their accommodation.
What the respondents told us
“There are so many rats living in the garden, I am worried for my children. When I moved in and looked in the kitchen cupboard, they were full of mouse droppings. It was so bad.” – Pakistani woman
“We are too many in the room and mixed sex live together in the same room.” – Anonymous
“The room they give me is very, very small and has no cupboard. So small that I cannot keep my things in there. I have to store them in the kitchen and the communal living room.”– Eritrean woman
Women’s group members have met progressively over the last three years, with new groups joining as they emerged, regularly discussing issues women face day to day. We have identified and come to a consensus on the main issues affecting women from our region, which are echoed by our national partner organisations, some of whom have also contributed to this report. These key issues, which are outlined in greater depth within the report, are:
Article 9 – Nationality: Inadequate Home Office decision-making procedures.
Article 11 – Employment: The main obstacle preventing asylum-seeking women from enjoying the right to employment in line with CEDAW Article 11, is the immigration legislation that removes their right to work.
Article 12 – Health: Under CEDAW Article 12, the key concern highlighted in this report relates to women’s mental health.
Article 13 – Economic and Social Benefits: Amongst other shortcomings under Article 13, the key violation of asylum-seeking women’s human rights in the UK relates to destitution.
Specific recommendation for Article 19 – Violence against Women: Asylum-seeking women are some of the most vulnerable survivors of violence and abuse, given that they face a greater risk of destitution and poverty.
Independent articles coverage is here