The huge international movement for asylum rights has included high profile campaigns and actions at Campsfield and Yarlswood in Britain, and church sanctuaries in France, Spain and elsewhere. But the fight for justice made by those of us who are women is most hidden.

As part of a self-help series highlighting women’s justice work, Legal Action for Women recently held two workshops on the rights of women seeking asylum. The workshops were a unique opportunity for women who have escaped rape, other torture and even death, often with small children, to discuss what can be done with each other and with legal representatives, health and other professionals, campaigners and concerned individuals generally.

Women dispersed outside of London described how they could not get basic legal and medical help. Some had successfully fought dispersal, enduring terrible conditions and prolonged battles. One woman was threatened with homelessness when the hostel she stayed at found her mother had sometimes stayed in her room. Others described how women, some with children, had lived for months in mixed, dirty, crowded, unsafe accommodation run by private contractors where they were sexually harassed.

Others spoke about detention and being threatened with deportation. One woman wept as she described trying to kill herself at Oakington "Reception" Centre because she was so frightened about being sent back. Another described how women held in detention had to hide their distress so that they wouldn’t be sent to the medical wing, where women are held in isolation and given heavy sedative drugs. All had fled to this country to escape rape but had been unable to speak about their trauma to the authorities.

Black Women’s Rape Action Project and Women Against Rape spoke about how hard it is to get rape survivors the legal, medical and other help to which they are entitled. Solicitor Jerry Clore described how most legal representatives don’t put themselves out for asylum seekers. He and Barrister Simon Cox spoke about the legal challenges which have been made and how everyone can use them.

Much of the discussions centred on the devastating impact which the new Immigration and Asylum Bill, if passed, will have on women, their children and families. The government plans to introduce more "Reception", "Accommodation" and "Removal" Centres – imprisonment by another name. Children, who have been accused by the Home Secretary of "swamping" schools, will no longer be entitled to attend school and will be taught separately in these centres. Someone commented that while the government claims to condemn Le Pen and the British National Party, their anti-immigrant apartheid policies owe much to the extreme right wing.

There was a very useful exchange on the role of professionals, who often claim that nothing can be done instead of insisting on the highest standard of representation for women asylum seekers as for everyone else. People agreed on the need for ongoing initiatives in which all those concerned could participate, including making visible widespread opposition to the proposed legislation. Many felt that the best funded organisations were keeping quiet when they should be speaking out! Without the support of the Refugee Council and others the government could not implement their plans. Some people commented that lucrative contracts rather than the best interests of asylum seekers are determining the response of these organisations.

It was striking how much women’s own determination and the committed work of grassroots organisation like LAW, BWRAP and WAR, and a few lawyers, could achieve. The workshops closed with a new resolve to exchange information and work more closely together from now on. Please get in touch with Legal Action for Women if you would like to be involved with these ongoing initiatives on 0207 482 2496.