Women for Refugee Women

Women for Refugee Women
Founder Machu Girma
Type Grassroots organisation
Location
  • United Kingdom
Website http://www.refugeewomen.co.uk/

Women for Refugee Women is a grassroots organisation challenging the injustices experienced by women who seek asylum in the UK. This includes tackling access to health care, discrimination, sexual violence and human trafficking, and ensuring women and children are treated with dignity.[1] The director of Women for Refugee women is Marchu Girma, who is originally from Ethiopia and went through the UK asylum process aged 11.[2]

Activism

Around 2,000 women asylum-seekers who come to the UK are detained in immigration detention centres every year.[3] Women for Refugee Women are dedicated to practically improving the lives of these women in detention, by providing a drop in lunch for asylum-seeking women in London. In addition to creating a welcoming safe space for asylum-seeking women to come together in solidarity, the organisation also provides English lessons, exercise classes and other confidence-building group sessions.[4]

Women for Refugee Women have supported female refugees from a variety of countries, including Eritrea, Iran, Congo and Afghanistan. Most of the women who attend the drop in lunch are vulnerable in some way, having experienced abuse, loss or trauma, destitution and mental illness.[5]

The organisation also campaigns on behalf of female refugees against injustices they face whilst in the UK, including conditions in detention centres. This includes publishing research[6] and briefing in politicians [7] to try and create a fairer asylum process. In 2017, Women for Refugee Women published research which found that the majority of women detained in Yarl's Wood are survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, which is in breach of the UK government's own policies on protecting 'adults at risk'.[8]

Women for Women Refugees also works with the arts, media and public events to document and raise awareness about women's stories.[9] In 2016, Women for Refugee Women produced a short animated film, directed by Priya Sundram, which documents and raises awareness about the experiences of women who have survived sexual violence and torture, and are currently detained in Yarl's Wood.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Women and Refugee women - About Us". http://www.refugeewomen.co.uk/about-us/. Retrieved 20 May 2018. External link in |website= (help)
  2. ↑ Mohan, Megha (2018-03-27). "Secret world: The women who cannot report sexual abuse". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  3. ↑ "The women dedicated to helping female refugees who come to the UK". Metro UK. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "Secret world: The women in the UK who cannot report sexual abuse". BBC. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  5. ↑ Mohan, Megha (2018-03-27). "Secret world: The women who cannot report sexual abuse". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  6. ↑ "Resources". www.refugeewomen.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  7. ↑ "Campaign". www.refugeewomen.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  8. ↑ Hill, Amelia (2017-11-01). "Vulnerable women 'still locked up in Yarl's Wood immigration centre'". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  9. ↑ "Media". www.refugeewomen.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  10. ↑ 4refugeewomen (2016-08-20), Set Her Free: Margaret's Story, retrieved 2018-05-20

See also

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