Demanding an Inquiry into what happens to women removed from the UK

We are appealing for financial help for Flavia Nambi, who was sent back to Uganda on 20 January 2009. She is our close friend and was a dedicated volunteer helping other women. She has no relatives, friends or support network in Uganda, her health has seriously deteriorated and we are desperately worried about her. Donate here!

Gang raped by rebels but refused asylum

Mary, 40 Interview by Cheryl Gallagher, The Independent Saturday, 17 April 2010

Mary says: 'The immigration escorts dragged us to the plane. They were pulling my hair and my braids fell out'

In the run-up to the 2001 elections in my country in East Africa, I was campaigning for an opposition group when some government soldiers kidnapped me in front of my children. I was raped and tortured and they starved me. After about a month, one of the soldiers accidentally left the door open and I escaped. I decided that I had to leave the country with my children.

After we had been in England for a few years, we were woken up at 5am by a loud bang at the door. A man shouted: "Open up! Immigration." We'd had no warning we were going to be deported. We were caged in the back of a van like prisoners and they wouldn't let me take my medication for depression.

Dikeledi Sobukwe
Women speak out in Parliament against detention, deportation, privatisation and profiteering. 14 January 2010
Report of meeting and more speeches

Mary and her five children have won a precedent-setting, six figure compensation award from the Home Office for abuse and injuries sustained during deportation to Uganda in 2006. Mary, a rape survivor, was supported throughout by Women Against Rape (WAR) who found legal representation to bring this case, through Leigh Day & Co. solicitors.

Injuries sustained
During the deportation, Mary and her children, the youngest of whom was just nine months old, suffered humiliating and degrading assaults that included Mary being punched and having pressure applied to her throat; being forcibly handcuffed with excessive force; threatened her teeth would be broken; being forced to keep her head between her thighs for half the flight.

As many of you will know, on 20 January, Flavia Nambi, our dear friend and colleague, was removed to Uganda. We are deeply upset and enraged at her inhumane treatment. We were in touch with her until the last minute when she called from the plane screaming and terrified.

Detained in Uganda

On arrival at Entebbe airport, Ms Nambi was held for eight hours. Officials demanded £200, an enormous sum in Uganda, to release her. We called on her dedicated MP, John McDonnell, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to intervene. Ms Nambi was eventually let go but how many other people returned by the UK government, are terrorised in this way? What happens to those without international support and no money to pay? A man from a local church who came to collect her was also detained and questioned for an hour.

Brief background

Write to the Home Office demanding an inquiry of what happens to the women, children and men they remove.

See below for sample letters:

Dear Jacqui Smith,

I am writing to express my grave concerns over the wellbeing of Ms. Flavia Nambi and to raise the need for an urgent enquiry into the welfare of all removed asylum seekers. I believe the case of Ms. Nambi is representative of the disturbing realities faced by removed asylum seekers and in consideration of this, demand an investigation into the harsh circumstances women, like Ms. Nambi, as well as children and men must cope with once returned to the countries they have bravely fled.

STOP PRESS: Betty and her children win compensation for unlawful detention and for violence and abuse from Immigration Guards!!!

Some of you may know Betty A, a regular volunteer at the Centre where Women Against Rape (WAR) is based, who has been fighting for asylum for eight years.  Betty is a rape survivor and mother of five.  In July 2006, two months after Betty was illegally deported to Uganda with her five children, she was kidnapped and tortured by security agents.

She escaped from the boot of the car taking her to be killed, and eventually managed to make it back to Britain.  Tragically she had no choice but to leave her children behind.