HOPES AND DREAMS IN LIMBO
A crowd funder has raised thousands of pounds to help a human trafficking survivor living in Yorkshire pursue her dream of qualifying as a nurse. Chris Burn reports.
They say you are getting some assistance to live on, you are free – but it is not a life. You need to be able to move on. There are lots of people in this situation, it is not just me. Emma, victim of human trafficking, on waiting for an asylum decision.
THREE YEARS on from escaping her captors, human trafficking survivor Emma has made extraordinary progress in starting a new chapter of life in Yorkshire.
Originally from Albania, Emma ( not her real name) was in her mid- 20s and initially spoke little English after getting her freedom in winter 2017 and being placed in a safe house. She has gone on to master the language, gain academic qualifications and participate in a wide array of volunteering work while living with the restrictions placed upon asylum seekers. These include not being allowed paid employment or to open a bank account, while living on an allowance of £ 37.75 a week.
But even with the Home Office officially confirming her to be a victim of human trafficking in June after a two- and- a- half year wait for a decision, Emma is still waiting on whether she will be allowed to remain in this country – meaning that her plan to take the next step towards her dream of becoming a nurse has been put on hold.
“I have been in limbo for three years now,” she explains over the phone. “I have been trying not to waste my time and learn the language and do different courses. My dream is to become a nurse so I just want to move on with my education.”
Living in Sheffield, she has undertaken as many training courses as possible – from learning English to doing translation courses. Emma, now 29, was also one of the first graduates of the pioneering Free Thinking programme run by Northern College on the outskirts of Barnsley, which support survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking to rebuild their lives after liberation by teaching things like IT skills, creative writing and history.
She has gone on to gain a Level 2 diploma in Social Sciences and even passed GCSE English, a language she could barely speak three years ago.
But the next step she hopes to take
– a Level 3 diploma which would open the door to going onto university – has been frustrated for the time being by being ineligible to apply for a student loan or adult learning grant until a final decision is made on whether she qualifies for asylum.
Emma says it is not safe for her to return to Albania, where she says she was the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a close family member and would be separately under threat from both other members of the family and the trafficking gang if she returned.
“The traffickers threatened me when I was in their hands that if I do something wrong it will cost me my life.
Even though I escaped I still hear their voices and threats in my head.”
Emma says many others are facing similar plights as they wait for years for decisions on whether they will be allowed to remain in the UK. “They say you are getting some assistance to live on, you are free – but it is not a life. You need to be able to move on. I think the Government just treat us as asylum seekers and not as the human beings that we are. There are lots of people in this situation, it is not just me. It is good to learn and get new skills and be able to help other people. It just gives you hope that a better future is coming and that you can try and forget the past. I do know people who have been in this country waiting for a decision for eight to 10 years. They are still in limbo and in a nightmare.”
There is some hope in Emma’s case – Jane Williamson, one of her former teachers at the Northern College Free Thinking course, has launched a fundraising page in an attempt to raise £ 3,500 to cover course fees, travel and transport, books and internet access. Williamson’s appeal has raised more than £ 2,200 to date and she says Emma truly deserves the chance to pursue her ambitions. “She always has a smile on her face but you can tell she has been through a lot. I have got a lot of admiration for her – she keeps going and fighting when other people would have stopped.”
Williamson says the case is symptomatic of the challenges that face many survivors. “The level of support is just not enough for people to rebuild their lives. She is just one of many students I have met who want to study a Level 3 diploma and want to go to university for the education they have been denied.”
Delays in decisions under the National Referral Mechanism ( NRM) – the Home Office- funded and managed process for identifying victims of modern slavery – were highlighted in 2017 by the National Audit Office. Under the NRM, an initial decision is supposed to be taken within five days of a potential victim being identified by an official ‘ first responder’ such as a police officer, with an aim of reaching a final determination within 45 days.
The NAO pointed out that decisions were taking an average of 134 days – with asylum claims put on hold while that consideration is taking place. Even getting that decision offers no guarantee of being able to stay in the country. In 2015, 21 per cent of those confirmed as victims of modern slavery were granted asylum, with 12 per cent granted ‘ discretionary leave to remain’ to stay in the UK for a temporary period of time.
Kate Roberts, UK and Europe Programme Manager for human rights organisation Anti- Slavery International, says: “For many survivors, to be given a positive decision and told they have been believed but at the same time told ‘ please make arrangements to leave the UK’ is a very shocking thing.”
Anti- Slavery International is pushing for a law change that would see victims of modern slavery given the right to access support in the UK for a year as soon as they are confirmed as victims, with access to public funds.
Roberts says: “It is five- and- a- half years since the Modern Slavery Act – I really hope the Government will see the system as it is isn’t working.”
Catherine Gladwell, chief executive of the Refugee Support Network charity, says situations like Emma’s are sadly common among many young asylum seekers who are frustrated in their attempts to access Higher or Further Education.
“We have young people still waiting for final asylum decisions for close to a decade. If you take away a young person’s chance, you are taking away their opportunity to build a better future and their ability to even imagine a better future. That is a huge thing to take away from a young person, particularly a young person who will have experienced more difficulties than most of us will face in our lives.”
While Emma continues to wait over her asylum application, she has been stunned by the fundraising support she has received so far. “It is amazing, I couldn’t believe it. I would really like to be a nurse in this country and just have a normal life, feel safe and not have to run. I have survived so many things from a very young age and I’m still thinking there is a future.”
Visit www. gofundme. com/ f/ survivor- of- trafficking- educationappeal for more information or to support the appeal.