Woman C story
C was born in Zimbabwe. When she was 13, her house was burnt down because her father was affiliated with the political party MDC. He was taken along with her two brothers, and her mother was tied up. On that day C and her family were all raped. Some weeks later, when the family were living at her uncle's house, C’s brothers came back. They never said anything about where their father was. C fell pregnant as a result of that day. Her uncle had to flee to South Africa and took C with him. Whilst in South Africa C had the child, and then continued at school and then went to university, completing a degree in Education. Her uncle organised rallies to encourage people to vote for MDC but one day spies murdered him on the way to one of his rallies. His killers were never found.
The day her uncle was killed C was teaching at a school. She got a call from his friend, telling her not to return home as there may be people looking for her who believed she had information. She was told where to hide, and after four days was given documentation to travel to the UK. She was given a phone number and told that upon her arrival, she would be sent to a hostel. She was told that someone would come to meet her once she rang the number, but nobody picked up. C hoped she would be able to go back to her life as a teacher and carer in South Africa. Unable to get in touch with anyone and with her money running out, she eventually met a lady from a church who said she could help. C was sleeping in the church when she was told she couldn’t stay in London, but that there was accommodation for her in Leeds.
In Leeds, C found a cleaning job and started making enough money to rent. One day, immigration came to her workplace and arrested her. She didn't know what was happening, or anything about asylum seeking. She was stripped naked at the police station, which she says traumatised her more than anything else. After telling the immigration officer her story, she was told that she wasn’t going to be deported and that she had to make a statement as an asylum seeker.
C’s claim was refused. Immigration officials thought she was lying, and was working in the UK to send money back to her family. Her appeal was also rejected. C later got a solicitor to put in a fresh claim; by this point she had been in the UK for eight years and unable to work, was becoming depressed. She then received the news that her son, who had been at university, had passed away. C stopped going outside and began self-harming, struggling with suicidal thoughts.
One day a friend told C about a charity organisation called the Refugee Council that could help her. She started volunteering there, and describes it as like starting to live again. She became a befriender for other asylum seekers in Leeds. C met her husband in the church she went to. They were told he had to apply to marry an asylum seeker; this was added to C’s asylum seeking case. Finally they were allowed to marry. C continued with her volunteering, beginning to feel safe.
C became the coordinator for the City of Sanctuary project “Welcome to Leeds”. It gave her many more opportunities to help people, in spite of the Refugee Council shutting down. It made C realise how many people aresuffering,many of them unable to speak English at all. Helping made C feel like she was giving something back. She knows that if she’d gone back to South Africa, she wouldn’t have survived; one of her brothers in South Africa has been killed while she’s been in the UK.
Last month C was given permission to stay until 2016, and is currently taking things one day at a time. The first thing C wantedto know was if shecould travel to see her Mum again. Shestill doesn't know yet whether she'll be allowed, but is glad to know she has a status here, describing it as the light at the end of the tunnel.