Public inquiry calls after mother found dead with infant son
● Asylum seeker had lost job and relied on charity to feed her and baby
Calls are mounting for a public inquiry into the death of an a sylu m s e e ke r who s e b o dy wa s d i s c ove r e d b e s i d e h e r malnourished baby.
Police found Mercy Baguma’s o n e - ye a r - o l d s o n c r y - ing alongside her body in her Glasgow flat on Saturday, after friends repor ted not having heard from her since last Tuesday. Ms Baguma, from Uganda, was seeking asylum and was reliant on food donations from friends and charitable organisations.
T h e c a u s e o f h e r d e a t h i s unknown. Her family in Africa have been informed.
Ms Baguma’s son was taken to hospital, but was released on Monday. The infant is being cared for by his father, who also lives in Glasgow.
The Positive Action in Housi n g c h a r i t y s a i d M s B a g u - ma had contacted them on 11 August to say she was not receiving any kind of financial support.
It is understo o d Ms Bagu - ma, who was in her 30s, had lost her job after her limited leave to remain expired, and she was no longer allowed to work. After living in extreme poverty, she claimed asylum.
The charity’s director, Robin a Q u r e s h i , wa r n e d i t wa s
the third tragedy to strike the cit y’s refugee p opulation in less than four months, and demanded an investigation.
“The question remains, why are mothers and babies being left to go hungr y in this cit y, and why is it being left to charities and volunteers to pick up the pieces?” Ms Qureshi asked.
“Does society have anything to say other than call them a drain on society? “The fact is there is no safety net if you are a refugee or migrant.
“You are left destitute and without resources, and people are being silenced and shamed by far-right rhetoric for being forced to ask for help.
“Would this mother be alive if she was not forced out of her job by this cruel system that stops you from working and paying your way because a piece of paper says your leave to remain has expired?
“I’m sure Mercy’s son will w a n t t o a s k t h i s a n d o t h - e r q u e s t i o n s o n c e h e i s o l d enough.”
T h e t r a g e dy c o me s a f t e r Adnan Walid Elbi, a 30 yearold Syrian refugee, was found dead in his room at the Mclays Guest House in Glasgow’s Renfrew Street in May.
The following month, one man was shot dead after stabbing six p eople, including a police officer, at the city’s Park Inn hotel. Other asylum seekers had cited concerns about the state of the man’s mental health.
Ms Qureshi said: “It is a matter of when – not if – the next tragedy occurs and this reinforces our resolve for a pub - lic inquiry and to get rid of any pretence that the Home Office wants to find out the pain it is causing with its evaluation, which seven Glasgow MPS are now boycotting.
“We demand a public inquiry and Mercy’s death to be investigated alongside Adnan Walid Elbi, the Park Inn tragedy and the deadly accommodation crisis created by Mears’s insensitive hotel moves.”
A fundraiser via Gofundme has been set up to help pay for Ms Baguma’s funeral costs and help raise money for her infant son. Police S cotland said Ms B a g u ma’s d e a t h wa s b e i n g treated as unexplained, but not suspicious.
A Home Office spokesman said: “This is a tragic situation ... the Home Office takes the wellb eing of all those in the asylum system extremely seriously, and we will be conducting a full investigation into Ms Baguma’s case.”