Refugee Stories Project - Africa

Prisca

editor — Fri, 25 May 2007 07:51:18 +0000

Summary

Prisca is a refugee in Austria, who fled Cameroon in 2003. She struggles to feel settled and integrated into Austrian society, and hopes one day to find a job that relates to her experience.

Body

Prisca has been a refugee in Austria since 2002. She was granted refugee status within two weeks of arriving from her home country of Cameroon, and waited two years to bring her young son to join her. But she has since found it difficult to integrate – in particular to find a job that matches her qualifications and experience. This, together with some specific incidents of racism, has led to her feeling isolated from Austrian society.

“Integration in Austria is defined and limited to the level of learning a language and getting a job, and it doesn’t matter which job.”

Links 1

ECRE

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Reception and Integration

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Henri

editor — Fri, 25 May 2007 07:40:17 +0000

Summary

After training for a career in law in his homeland, Henri found himself retraining for work as a welder when he fled to Spain as a refugee. Now Henri manages to make ends meet for his family with his welding work but regrets his inability to practise law.

Body

Henri escaped conflict, political instability and persecution in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and arrived in Spain, where he was granted refugee status. An established lawyer at home in DRC, Henri had to retrain in order to find work in Spain's competitive labour market and began working as a welder. Henri lives with his wife - who travelled later to Spain and was recognised as a refugee following a separte procedure – and their young daughter born in Spain.

Henri longs to return home to his own culture and to practising law, his passion, but in the meantime, he makes the best of the life he has been able to build in Europe.

“I left my country unintentionally; I fled due to persecution… I would really love to go back and do again what I used to do there.”

Links 1

Reception and Integration

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ECRE

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Azekel

editor — Thu, 24 May 2007 12:56:45 +0000

Summary

Azekel. fled his home in Angola without knowing where he was going, and ended up in Belgium where he was put in detention, despite his poor health. Since he was smuggled into Belgium on an Italian visa, he was subject to the Dublin Regulation.

Body

Azekel, 43, left his home in Angola because his life was at risk. He fled the country without knowing where he was going and ended up in Belgium. Since he was smuggled into Belgium on an Italian visa, he was subject to the Dublin Regulation – the EU procedure for allocating responsibility to an individual member state for processing an asylum claim - and after two months in Belgium he was transferred to Italy.

Azekel was detained on arrival in Belgium in spite of his trauma and poor health. He received no information about the asylum procedure or the Dublin Regulation and had no opportunity to appeal the decision to transfer him. Azekel has now been recognised as a refugee and tells the story of his confusing encounter with Europe and its asylum system.

“If I could write my history as a refugee, I would only ask the persons governing the country that they should change their mentality.. their conscience. First of all their conscience.”

Links 1

Dublin II Regulation

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Cleo

editor — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 22:20:23 +0000

Summary

Cleo has lived in Scotland for seven years. She applied for asylum in 2000, but her final appeal was turned down and she is now without status. While she and her family wait for a resolution to their situation, she does her best to remain positive and to contribute to community life in Glasgow.

Body

Cleo's refugee story begins with her parents' flight from the Angolan civil war - before she was born - to the Congo and then to Zambia. Cleo has Zambian citizenship and is entitled to an Angolan passport, but she has never set foot in Angola and does not speak Portuguese. Her own troubles began when she was working in the Angolan embassy in Zambia, when relations between the two countries deteriorated and her own mixed heritage drew the attention of the Zambian authorities. Pregnant with her third child, Cleo travelled legally to the UK, in 2000, to escape the harassment of the Zambian police. She intended only to take a short break from the pressure back home, but when her sister warned her it was not safe to return, she applied for asylum.

Her asylum claim rejected, Cleo has lived in Scotland for four years without status.

"I owe a lot to Scotland, if only I had the chance to get the refugee status, I would pay everything back. I would prove to this country that I am not here for the benefits. I want to get a job.."

Links 1

ECRE

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Ahmed

editor — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 17:21:14 +0000

Summary

Ahmed arrived in Poland in 1986 to study, but applied for asylum ten years later, following the outbreak of the civil war in Sudan. With no access to legal advice he did not realise he could appeal the rejection of his asylum claim.

Body

Ahmed left Sudan in 1986 to study in Poland. While he was there, the political situation in Sudan changed. The Nuba mountain region, where he comes from, was in the front line between the government forces and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement. He applied for asylum in Poland in 1996, but knew nothing about the procedure and on receiving a negative decision nearly gave up. Five years later, he was granted refugee status, having sought help from an NGO.

Ahmed talks about his experience of claiming asylum in a country in which he had already been living for over ten years. He is conscious that had he not been able to speak Polish, his future could have been very different.

"..based on my experience, sometimes the Polish authorities do not give full information and they count that the asylum seeker or refugee will go to the NGOs and get advice there.. but not everybody knows about NGOs."

Links 1

asylum procedures

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Hadish

editor — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 17:15:12 +0000

Summary

Hadish fled Eritrea after being imprisoned for campaigning for a democratic constitution. He crossed the Mediterranean sea when he failed to find protection in neighbouring African countries and was detained on arrival in Malta.

Body

Hadish loves his country very much. As he talks about the beauty and riches of Eritrea, it is clear he feels it would be much too dangerous to return in the current political climate.

"I was very lucky, because I managed to survive here in Malta - the rest of my friends that were detained with me [in Eritrea], some lost their life; others no one knows their whereabouts."

Hadish will not rest until there is stability in Eritrea but he is patient. Until he can return, he does what he can to support his family, he looks out for fellow nationals and he works tirelessly to raise awareness about the problems asylum seekers are facing in Malta.

His experience of being detained as an asylum seeker shocked him, but the reactions he has encountered since he was released have troubled him even more.

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Cecilia

editor — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 14:27:59 +0000

Summary

Cecilia is 29 and fled Sudan in 1995 after witnessing the murder of her family. She is living without status in Belgium and is terrified of being sent back to Sudan.

Body

Cecilia lives in fear of being sent back to Sudan. She became a refugee when she saw her mother and father murdered in front of her and ran away with no destination in mind. She ended up in Belgium. Terrified of being deported, she claimed asylum but then hid from the authorities. Seven years later she was taken to a detention centre and kept there for four months. She was then released, and is still without any status.

Cecilia talks about being treated like ‘an animal' in a detention centre, and about the bewilderment she feels as a vulnerable person asking for safety in Europe.

"I cannot remember all the things I've gone through these years...if you have a serious wound that has healed long term - you cannot describe what it looks like anymore."

Links 1

ECRE on detention

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James

editor — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 14:11:21 +0000

Summary

James is a qualified science teacher volunteering at the UK-based charity 'Education Action'. He fled Sierra Leone four years ago and is still waiting for a decision on his case.

Body

James is a science teacher from Sierra Leone. He fled political persecution and arrived in the UK four years ago. His asylum claim is in the final appeal stage and alongside the uncertainty over the outcome of his case he deals daily with the frustration he feels at not being able to work and contribute to society. Instead he has continued his studies in preparation for the teaching job he craves.

"I think had I got some form of status in this country, the sky should have been the limit for me, because even at the moment without status I am doing a post-graduate masters here... the only job I think I will do and feel satisfied doing is teaching...that's my dream."

Links 1

integration

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Barry

editor — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 14:05:08 +0000

Summary

Barry fled political persecution in the Democratic Republic of Congo and claimed asylum in Belgium. When his application was refused he was detained with his wife and small baby.

Body

Barry, 28, arrived in Belgium from the Congo in 2002. With his wife and small baby, he was detained pending repatriation following the refusal of his asylum claim, but subsequently released. He had been politically active in the Congo, and continues this in Belgium, both for those still in the Congo, and for the rights of asylum seekers in Belgium.

Barry talks here with feeling about being locked in prison with his small baby, and of the lack of dignity and culture of disbelief inherent in the asylum system.

"I immediately changed my opinion of Europe...What really scared me was the prescence of new born babies at the centres."

Links 1

ECRE on detention

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detention in Belgium

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Solomon

editor — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 17:32:17 +0000

Summary

In his late fifties, Solomon escaped political imprisonment in Ethiopia 13 years ago. He eventually found himself in Malta, where he was detained for eight months and has since been denied refugee status.

Body

As a member of the opposition party in Ethiopia, Solomon was imprisoned twice without charge. After managing to escape from prison, he fled first to Somalia and then found work in the United Arab Emirates, sending his earnings home to support a wife, three children and his father. But he had no legal status and when he was expelled from the UAE for not holding a valid visa, he decided Europe was his only hope. He paid $1200 for passage to Italy, and ended up in Malta when the boat ran out of fuel.

Solomon was detained on arrival in Malta and released after 8 months in consideration of his age. His application for asylum has been rejected and with no permission to work, he worries about his family trying to survive without his support.

"The last time I saw my family was in 1993. It’s been a long time. My children were very small, now they are grown."

Links 1

Malta

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detention

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return

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protection beyond Europe