[email protected] 01293 657070 GDWG Newsletter October 2012 Autumn 2012

Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group GDWG report looks at mental ‘A prison in the mind’ health effects of detention

GDWG has just produced a new The report was based on the tes- them all, asking for their views report, researched and written timony of nine long-term Brook on their own experiences and of by one of our volunteer visitors, House detainees, plus eleven of those around them in the centre. looking at the effects that long- our own volunteer visitors, all of Perhaps unsurprisingly, they had term detention has had on the whom have had experience in a lot to say, and certain themes mental health of a small sample visiting individuals over long peri- were reoccurring , particularly of Brook House detainees. This ods. It touched on a number of those around feelings of power- qualitative study supports the different elements, including both lessness and uncertainty that conclusion of a number of other the mental health of those de- compounded their problems, and pieces of existing research, that tained, as well as possible caus- consequently adversely affected detention has a negative impact their mental states. on detainees’ mental states. We have made a number of rec- However, it also supports the ommendations in the report, pri- idea that it may be inappropri- marily that anyone with diag- ate to label these symptoms as nosed mental illness should not mental health problems, and be detained, as well as others that instead they are actually a around how those who are ill are rational response to the experi- treated in detention. ence of being detained without time limit. We hope this report will add to the weight of evidence on the issue of mental health in deten- Inside this issue: tion. We will be circulating the report very soon, but if you The Longest Day 2-3 would like a copy please do con- tact the GDWG office. Our huge The case of KA Afghanistan 4 thanks go to our researcher and volunteer, Debbie Neale, for all ‘No woman should be left out’ 4 her very hard work in putting the BID Travel Document Project 5 es, and any coping mechanisms report together, as well as to all used by those affected. of the participants, both those Article 8 cases 5 who were (and in some cases The detainee participants had all still are) detained at Brook been held in detention at Brook Volunteers pages / GDWG 6-7 House, and our volunteers who news House for between ten months were also interviewed. Kyrgyzstan 8 and two years. We conducted semi-structured interviews with Nic Eadie Page 2 GDWG Newsletter Autumn 2012

The Longest Day: Stars come out to

After many months of planning, joy and a celebration of Refugee written to express the feelings and an incredible amount of Week. ‘You opened my eyes to of a detainee he met in Tinsley work by the organising com- the wider world’ wrote one House. And the third surprise? mittee, The Longest Day was member of the audience…the The Chinese man, Li, who in- finally upon us on the 21st June spirit of the evening was cap- spired the music now no longer 2012. The Hawth Theatre flung tured by Emmanuel Jal who hit in detention came on stage and its doors open and welcomed the stage with passion and soon encouraged by Sheila Hancock around 450 guests to witness had the entire audience on their expressed his wonder at the what was to be a night of great feet. Emmanuel sang his heart music Alex had performed ‘this entertainment and great emo- out and described his journey music conveys how I have trav- tion. from child soldier in the Suda- elled on this hard road over the- nese People’s Liberation Ar- se past few years’ and ‘I have my at the age of seven to inter- not been destroyed by my situ- national music star with a ‘We ation. I will carry on step by Want Peace’ campaign that has step to the end because I am gained support from Jimmy strongly convinced that the one Carter and George Clooney! who endures to the end will be saved. I still have hope. Thank Impossible to follow? Try Attila you to Alex and to everyone for the Stockbroker : ‘the Clash helping me on my journey’. meets Hilaire Belloc’ …loud, radical, lyrical, reflective and Nic Eadie summed up ‘I have very funny. Try comedians Amy heard tales of suffering, of hard- Hoggart and Steve Punt. Music ship, of persecution and of terri- by Joni Fuller, poetry by Inua ble journeys to find safety, but Ellams and dance music and amongst these stories I have Emmanuel Jal kicks off the evening with a bang! song by Reigate Sixth Form Col- also found hope, friendship and The performance began with a lege. Second surprise of the the determination to make a surprise…Baroness Williams of evening was Bridges Arts Group future despite the most difficult Crosby (‘Shirley Williams’) con- who had devised a performance of circumstances. I am very gratulating the people of Craw- from creative drama workshop proud to be part of The Longest ley on the welcome they have experiences with the detainees Day and to celebrate all of the- given to people seeking sanctu- of Brook House IRC. Their ary and giving thanks to the vol- piece entitled ‘Arrival’ fea- unteers of Gatwick Detainees tured the words and sto- Welfare Group for their support ries told in the workshops to those held in indefinite immi- by the detainees them- gration detention at Gatwick. selves. Detainee words on Sheila Hancock shared her per- stage! Fifteen year old lo- sonal experience visiting some- cal school student Alex one in detention at Brook Parry brought the evening House and setting the tone of a to a close performing a powerful evening of hope and piano solo that he had

The Bridges Arts Group perform a piece they had worked on with Brook House detinees in workshops at the centre [email protected] Page 3 01293 657070 help GDWG celebrate our work

of Lords. Baroness Williams Some comments from our visi- of Crosby addressed the tors.. House on 19 July and said ‘Only a couple of weeks ago Brilliant, fantastic, wonderful, 450 people turned up at a moving, funny, inspiring. Thank theatre in to listen you so much for a truly unfor- to what the refugees had to gettable evening. say about what they had It was inspiring to hear so many been through and about words of encouragement and the songs and poems that stories of bravery in the midst of Multi-instrumentalist Joni Fuller and her band had kept them going. This despair… was a crowd of our fellow citi- ..big voices speaking for small se remarkable people’. This was zens, not specially selected but a community event funded by men and women who cared voices – such a wonderful atmos- The Big Lottery Awards for All about the well-being of their phere in the theatre… with foyer art by Jun- fellow citizens. I suggest going ior School and Thomas Bennett down the path of providing con- Community College and interval fident, human help to one’s drumming by Samba X Project peers rather than following mixed ability drumming group. endless, complicated, inexplica- ble and incomprehensible pro- Reviews following the event included those responding to cesses of immigration rules the human stories (in ‘Hawth without recognizing the human Friends’ the reviewer concluded dimension’ ‘after the show I did what every The Deputy Mayor of Crawley refugee detained at Gatwick wrote ‘I came away from The hopes to do, I walked out into Longest Day feeling uplifted and the sweet Sussex air, a very encouraged. It was an honour happy man’) and volunteers and a privilege to be part of the were uplifted by the message of audience. The whole evening The Crawley Observer report of the event the evening reaching the House provided a powerful witness to those caught up in the And finally, a huge thank you system and families sepa- to the committee who organ- rated because of the sys- ised the event, comprising of tem. Please pass on my Anna Pincus, Christina Fitzsi- thanks and appreciation mons, Ann Locke, Mary Bar- to all the volunteers for all the work they do.’ rett and Jennifer Tindle, for the enormous effort they put

it in to making the event such Anna Pincus a huge success.

Li, an ex-Tinsley House detainee, delivers a speech while Sheila Hancock looks on Page 4 GDWG Newsletter Autumn 2012

An update on the removal of ‘No woman should be missed out’ young Afghans to Kabul The government has prom- explained that she felt very In our Spring Newsletter we highlight- ised to tackle violence stressed at the interview and ed the plight of young Afghans being against women and girls therefore forgot some of the sent back to Kabul and the dangers both at home and over- answers despite knowing they face there. A recent judgment seas. Its strategy on the information requested passed in the court of appeal (KA ‘Violence Against Women (source: Asylum Aid). (Afghanistan) & Ors v SSHD [2012] and Girls’, launched in No- The government is reporting EWCA Civ 1014), has resulted in a vember 2010 to mark the on its Violence against major victory for those fighting for the International Day for the Women and Girls strategy rights of young people and could result Elimination of Violence this November. In response, in many young Afghans finding sanc- Against Women, contains a campaign has been tuary in the UK. 100 actions to tackle vio- launched by the Women’s lence against women and Asylum Charter called ‘No The case involved 8 young Afghans girls. Sadly, it says almost who came to the UK as unaccompa- Woman Should be Missed nothing about female asy- Out’. This calls for asylum- nied minors and claimed asylum, but lum seekers. seeking women to be whose cases were rejected. The Around one third treated fairly in the UK judgement of the court criticised the of people who and protected from “systemic failure” in the treatment of claim asylum in violence. It’s not ask- young asylum seekers who made their the UK in their ing for special treat- claim between 2006 and 2010. It own right are ment, only that wom- highlighted that the UKBA had failed in women. Female en seeking asylum its legal duty to trace the family mem- asylum seekers have the same rights bers of the appellants in their country often have partic- as everyone else: it of origin. ular difficulty be- seems strange that ing recognised as women fleeing vio- Not only did the Court highlight the having a ‘well- lence and persecution misgivings of the Home office but it founded fear of persecu- and seeking protection in also agreed that if the asylum applica- tion’ which would lead to the UK should be excluded tions were subject to prejudice as a them being granted refugee from the government’s strat- result of this relinquishing of duty, then status. For example, wom- egy to protect women from the applications need to be reconsid- en might be fleeing gender- violence. Gatwick Detainees ered even if the young person is now specific violence such as Welfare Group is one of over 18. forced marriage or domes- over 300 organisations who This judgement moves away from the tic violence which is often have endorsed the Women’s not recognised as Asylum Charter. If you are principle that asylum applications ‘persecution’ by the Home interested in helping out, should be assessed on current situa- Office. Female asylum you can write to your MP tions and means that thousands of seekers in the UK also face and ask them to raise your young people who have been denied problems throughout the concerns with the Home refugee status as a result of this fail- asylum process. For exam- Secretary, and insist that ure to trace family members can now ple, Thandiwe, a 40 year- asylum-seeking women are have their claims re- examined and old asylum seeker from treated fairly in the UK and hopefully be given the chance to stay Zimbabwe who suffered are protected from violence. in the UK and continue their life with- torture and sexual violence Template letters and cam- out the threat of being removed to a in prison was disbelieved paign leaflets are available by the UKBA on the basis from the Asylum Aid web- life in the slums of Kabul. that she was unable to an- site. Sarah Pailthorpe swer some questions about Lauren Cape-Davenhill ruling party members. She [email protected] Page 5 01293 657070

A useful tool for detainees BID’s Travel Document Project having document problems

The Project provides tools to guidance to its caseworkers on help people apply for travel the average timescales for obtain- documents from their own na- ing a passport or an Emergency tional authorities including Travel Document which is essen- standard letters and contact tial in understanding whether or Have you visited a detainee for a details. BID have devised a set of not removal of a person is long time knowing that they are letters as templates that can be ‘imminent’. unlikely to be issued with travel downloaded from their website The BID Travel Document Project documents by their country of and sent by detainees. Letters is a practical tool for detainees to origin and felt frustrated? Have include ‘Reminder Letter to your demonstrate their sustained ef- you seen the detainee repeatedly Embassy or High Commission in fort in trying to gain documenta- going for bail and being told they the UK to say that you have writ- tion. Please bring it to the atten- will receive documents soon when ten to ask for an interview with a tion of anyone you are visiting none materialise? Have they re- consular official to establish your who would like to follow the letter peatedly been told that if they are identity, but you have had no re- trail methodically. If used well in a freed they are likely to abscond? sponse’, and ‘A Letter to your MP bail hearing, it can help to secure Have you wished there was some- asking him or her to help you con- release from detention. thing that could be done? If this firm your identity and nationality, scenario is familiar to you, please and obtain travel documents’ to Detainees I have worked through look at the BID Travel Document name but two. As you can see, the Project with have felt positive Project on the BID website. The there is a letter for every circum- in the knowledge that everything project sets out letters that the stance! Detainees are advised to that they can do for themselves is detainee can write to their Embas- keep a record of all phone calls being done. And for any visitor, it sy or High Commission asking for with their Embassy or High Com- can be positive to accompany documents in order to show UKBA mission and to get proof of post- someone on their journey through that they are co-operating with the ing when sending letters and fax- the Project since there is a clear process to remove them. This, in es. BID suggest keeping all notes strategy for the detainee to follow turn, can be evidence that they will sent to and received from the ca- that provides a focus of hope not abscond if released from de- seowner about travel documents. along the way. Furthermore, the Project includes tention. Anna Pincus information from UKBA including

A brief overview of the recent changes to Article 8 The changes reflect a “reform (of ) the approach taken as a matter of public policy towards article 8” to focus more As of the 9th July 2012 the Home office Another area of reform is deporta- on public interest and “safeguard(ing) have introduced significant changes to tion. A deportation is when the the economic wellbeing of the UK in the Immigration rules in regard to Arti- Home Secretary or someone acting on controlling immigration and to protect cle 8 claims, these changes affect any their behalf issues the removal of a the public from foreign crimi- Non EEA national’s application to enter person from the UK because their con- nals” ( Damian Green 2012) or remain in the UK based on the right tinual presence is not deemed in the There have been considerable concerns to private and family life. public interest. arising from the new rules; one of the Overall the new rules have made it Normally deportation orders are chal- main issues is that they do not seem to more difficult to enter or remain in the lenged on Article 8 grounds, on the consider the best interest of the chil- UK based on Article 8, for example, a individual’s right to family life, and /or dren involved, especially when looking new minimum income threshold has where the removal of the parent will at deportation and the effect of sepa- been introduced for spouses or part- have a considerable impact on the rating a parent from their child and the ners and from October 2013 all appli- welfare of their children. The new balance between perceived “public in- rules state that it is only in cants must pass the Life in The UK test. terest” and individual rights. (www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk). “exceptional circumstances that the public interest is outweighed”. Sarah Pailthorpe Page 6 GDWG Newsletter Autumn 2012 Volunteers pages Welcome to GDWG, Najma

After coming to ‘The Longest small village. With Broadfield Najma describes herself as a Day’, the Imam of Broadfield Mosque attracting 1,000 wor- ‘moderate muslim’ and her Mosque invited GDWG to at- shippers on religious festival children as assimilated, mod- tend the opening of the new days and the new extension ern and successful ‘British mosque extension where we muslims’. For Najma, family is found Najma…or rather everything and, in her own Najma found us! We are de- words, she is a devoted moth- lighted to welcome Najma to er, wife and sister. Interfaith GDWG and detainees are al- is important to Najma and she ready benefitting from her feels welcome in any syna- knowledge of Urdu and Hindi gogue, church or Gudwara. and her understanding of their Talking to Najma, the cultural roots word ‘respect’ is mentioned repeatedly…respect for all reli- gions, for elders, for family Born in Bhopal and in the UK and tradition. She hopes that since the age of sixteen, detainees will take comfort Najma remembers life in from speaking with someone Crawley Down over 40 years of the same background and ago when hers was the only remembers the pleasure one Asian family and there were detainee derived from her gift only three Asian children in including educational facili- of traditional clothes at the her son’s secondary school. ties, library, nursery and feel- end of Ramadan; a gift that Crawley Down was surround- ing like a ‘real Islamic cultural helped him to ‘feel closer to ed by fields and now with centre’, Najma feels part of who he is’. Welcome to the 2,000 more families in the ar- a strong community. Crawley Group, Najma! ea life is no longer that of a Anna Pincus

GDWG News

 We will be producing Christmas cards for sale this year, with designs by Tinsley House detainees. These will be ready in the last week of November, so please contact us if you would like to order some.

 GDWG have recommenced our school talks programme for this academic year. If you know of a school who you think might be interested in having us go in and deliver a lesson or talk about asylum, immigration and detention, please let us know.

 We are very pleased that the Mayor of Crawley, Councillor Keith Blake, will be visiting us on November 20th in our offices at The Orchard, to meet with volunteers, ex- detainees and then to go on a visit to Brook House. [email protected] Page 7 01293 657070

Redhill to Paris on two wheels… For GDWG!

All of us here at GDWG would very wet and quite tired when Day 3 like to say a huge thank you we eventually got to bed at to Anthony Wouters, aka We set off around 9am on the Tuck, the husband of our 3am. final day and cycled around 75 Horsham volunteer Charlotte, who gallantly battled the ele- miles....again in the rain! After ments while riding from getting 5 punctures in one Redhill to Paris over the Day 2 morning, I was very happy course of three days, raising money for GDWG in the pro- We set off after 4 hours sleep when we saw the Eiffel Tower in cess. Tuck told me he had and a hearty breakfast. The the distance. We then had to never really been a cyclist scenery for the first 1/2 of the negotiate the Paris traffic as we previously, but thought he’d give it a go, and put in some day was beautiful and we rode made our way to the Trocadero training over the Summer. 93 miles to our hotel destina- and around the Arc de Tri- tion in Eureux with one rider omphe roundabout madness. Here is an account of how the breaking his collarbone and a Here we broke out the ride went, in Tuck’s own Champagne and took a words: few happy snaps with the

Eiffel Tower as the back- Day 1 drop. Very pleased with We set off in high spirits our personal achievement although we were now cy- and for raising money and cling to Dover and not awareness for GDWG. Portsmouth due to ferry strikes. This meant we had It’s still not too late to to ride further and faster to Made it! After 250 miles, the Eiffel Tower was a welcome sight sponsor Tuck, so if you meet the new ferry schedule. would like to do so please There was one major hill about couple of other riders with visit his Just Giving page, or send a donation to our office: 3 miles out of Dover that tested grazed knees. Again, it rained http://www.justgiving.com/ all of us and I'm pleased to say I most of the day. A well earned Anthony-Wouters made it up without stopping. meal with some local Rose If anyone else has any good followed. fundraising ideas, or would We travelled 82 miles and the like to take on a challenge in British weather was true to form aid of GDWG, please let the office know. - wind, rain, hail and a bit of sun- shine thrown in. We were all Dates for your diary Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group Next area group meetings: The Orchard, Gleneagles Court Brighton Road  Brighton: November 22nd Crawley RH10 6AD Phone: 01293 657070  Crawley: October 29th Fax: 01293 474001 Email: [email protected]  Horsham: December 5th Website: www.gdwg.org.uk  Oxted: November 27th Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group is a registered charity, set up in 1995 to offer  Reigate: November 7th friendship and support to asylum seekers and other immigration detainees held in GDWG McKenzie Friends training 24th detention at . November

king, had first moved from his village to Kyrgyzstan – Nomads, Bishkek, the capital – then spent a year working as a waiter in Qatar – and then relocated to Kazakhstan with his family. Migrants and Refugees And he was only 23!

I was lucky enough to spend 2 weeks on the Soviet Union, life has in many ways Finally, over the past two decades and holiday in Kyrgyzstan last month. Kyrgz- become more difficult. There is lower especially since 2010 there have been stan is famous for its yurts and its hors- pay and fewer jobs for people working huge numbers of refugees resulting from es, and the nomadic way of life is still in the public sector such as teachers tensions between different ethnic very much in evidence. As we drove and doctors, and the cost of living has groups. In 2010, attacks in the south of around the country in a beaten up old increased dramatically. In addition, the country where there are large num- Lada 4X4, we would regularly pass many young people are reluctant to bers of ethnic Uzbeks led to hundreds of small yurt camps nestled high up in the continue the traditional pastoral way of Uzbeks being killed and 400,000 people beautiful mountains, as families grazed life with its physical hardships, prefer- displaced, with many fleeing over the their horses and cattle in the higher land ring to try their luck in the cities. After border to Uzbekistan. In the southern to escape from the summer heat. Wom- cities of Osh and Jalalabad, we saw en would set up stalls on the sides of the many burnt out shops and damaged road selling ‘kumis’, fermented mare’s buildings which still have not been re- milk, a vaguely alcoholic drink which is a paired. local speciality. Kumis is claimed to have health properties including curing tuberculosis and anaemia, though it In addition to the human story of no- definitely didn’t seem to do my stomach mads, migrants and refugees, my im- any favours! It was amazing to see that pressions of Kyrgyzstan are of beautiful the traditional nomadic way of life has mountain passes, deep blue lakes, persisted despite huge changes in the dusty towns and vast walnut forests. I country following its independence in spending a night shivering in a yurt at definitely plan to go back, although next 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Un- 2700m and trying to heat frozen water time on a bicycle – we met a couple of ion. for a shower, I can empathise with this cyclists who had cycled all the way from a bit! Almost everybody we spoke to Germany, and given the country is full of had family who had moved from their mountains over 3000m I’ll need to get However, economic problems and mod- hometowns to find work in the big cit- training soon. ernisation are challenging the nomadic ies, or travelled abroad to work in Rus- way of life and encouraging different sia, Kazhakstan or further afield. forms of migration. With the collapse of Saeed, our guide when we went trek- Lauren Cape-Davenhill