<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<title>For immediate Release</title>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="country-region"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Verdana;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Verdana Ref";
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin-top:0cm;
margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;}
h2
{margin-top:12.0pt;
margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;
margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
page-break-after:avoid;
font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
font-weight:bold;
font-style:italic;}
p.MsoFootnoteText, li.MsoFootnoteText, div.MsoFootnoteText
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;}
span.MsoFootnoteReference
{vertical-align:super;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0cm;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0cm;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.EmailStyle20
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Verdana Ref";
color:blue;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
span.EmailStyle21
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Verdana Ref";
color:blue;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
span.EmailStyle24
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Verdana Ref";
color:blue;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
@page Section1
{size:595.3pt 841.9pt;
margin:2.0cm 2.0cm 2.0cm 2.0cm;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body lang=EN-GB link=blue vlink=blue>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font
size=3 color=blue face="Verdana Ref"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:"Verdana Ref";color:blue'>Dear sisters,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font
size=3 color=blue face="Verdana Ref"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:"Verdana Ref";color:blue'>If you haven’t already done so,
could you please circulate the information <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font
size=3 color=blue face="Verdana Ref"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:"Verdana Ref";color:blue'>below to your network?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font
size=3 color=blue face="Verdana Ref"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:"Verdana Ref";color:blue'>Many thanks.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font
size=3 color=blue face="Verdana Ref"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:"Verdana Ref";color:blue'>Cristel and Maria<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellpadding=0 width="75%"
style='width:75.0%'>
<tr>
<td style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal'><a name=content><b><font size=4 color=green face=Arial><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:green;font-weight:bold'>For
immediate Release:</span></font></b></a><b><font size=4 color=green
face=Arial><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:green;
font-weight:bold'> 020 7482 2496 or 07980 659 831</span></font></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:11.35pt;line-height:normal'><font
size=4 color=maroon face=Arial><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:maroon'><br>
Public Event<i><span style='font-style:italic'>:<b><span style='font-weight:
bold'> </span></b></span></i></span></font><b><i><font size=4 color=maroon
face=Arial><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:maroon;
font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>Can You Hear Us? <br>
Women’s uncensored experiences of detention and deportation</span></font></i></b><b><font
size=3 color=maroon face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:maroon;font-weight:bold'><br>
</span></font></b><font size=3 color=maroon face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:maroon'>All speakers will be
available for interview. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:11.35pt'><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Date:
14 January<br>
Time: 6-8pm<br>
Venue: Committee Room 5, House of Commons</span></font></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal'><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:
Arial'>While the brutal detention of children has been finally condemned,
little has been said about the detention of mothers and its impact on
families, including children, and other vulnerable people. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Over 70% of women seeking asylum
are rape survivors <font color=blue><span style='color:blue'>[1]</span></font></span></font>.
<font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>Many are detained in
prison-like conditions throughout <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region></st1:place>, including in Yarl’s Wood
Removal Centre which holds over 400 women and their families. This is
in breach of national guidelines and international agreements. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Women will testify about their struggles
against an increasingly punitive immigration system, and their demands for
change. They<b><span style='font-weight:bold'> </span></b>include rape
survivors, mothers separated from their children, lesbian women, and several
women who were recently released from Yarl’s Wood. Some have been involved
in hunger strikes and protests against the brutal, profit-orientated regime
run by SERCO<font color=blue><span style='color:blue'> [2]</span></font> and
against violent deportations by privatised security companies. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:normal'><b><font size=2
color=maroon face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:maroon;font-weight:bold'>Ms Idri Jawara is one of the speakers.</span></font></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:normal'><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Ms<b><span
style='font-weight:bold'> </span></b>Idri Jawara was married in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Gambia</st1:country-region></st1:place>
in October 1991 and her husband insisted she adopt his family’s tradition of
carrying out female genital mutilation. As a victim of this practice
herself, Ms Jawara refused to inflict it on her daughters and other
girls. As her marriage began to deteriorate, Ms Jawara began a lesbian
relationship with a close friend. When her husband found out he raped
and beat her daily and eventually took her to a Sharia court where he accused
her of having a forbidden relationship. The court found her guilty and
sentenced her to death by stoning on 11 May 2009.<br>
<br>
On 13 May, Ms Jawara fled to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region></st1:place>.
She was entitled to claim asylum under the Refugee Convention because of the
persecution she suffered and because she couldn’t rely on the Gambian
government to protect her. In June, when she submitted her claim, she
was detained in Yarl’s Wood IRC. Despite having explained she was a
victim of rape, her case was put into the fast-track process which allows
only two days for an asylum application to be made and a further six days to
appeal a refusal. This leaves no time for people to gather the medical
and other expert reports essential to corroborate a claim of
persecution. Like 98% of other applicants considered under the fast
track, Ms Jawara was refused. Like hundreds of other women, Ms Jawara
was then left without legal representation as her lawyer concluded, without
having gathered any of the key evidence, that her case had no merit.
She tried to represent herself at her appeal hearing but was too embarrassed
to speak about her sexuality and her appeal was rejected. Faced with
imminent removal, she found a new lawyer who put in a Judicial Review and
commissioned an expert report from Black Women’s Rape Action Project.
Her removal was suspended after the Gambian authorities refused to issue a
travel document. She was finally released shortly before Christmas.<br>
</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:normal'><b><font size=2
color=maroon face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:maroon;font-weight:bold'>What makes people angry is the lack of money
to help the vulnerable. </span></font></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:normal'><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial'>There are 42
million displaced people worldwide <font color=blue><span style='color:blue'>[3]</span></font>.
Women and children are 80%<strong><b><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:
Arial'> of the casualties </span></font></b></strong>of wars <font
color=blue><span style='color:blue'>[4]</span></font>. The role of the
British government in fomenting and supporting many of these wars remains
hidden. Instead we are bombarded with political and religious ‘leaders’
claiming, without any concrete evidence, that people blame immigration for a
scarcity of resources. Yet recent research confirms the positive
contribution immigrant people make to society. <font color=blue><span
style='color:blue'>[5] </span></font> <br>
</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><i><font size=2
color=maroon face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:maroon;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>Over six years ago women
seeking asylum in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">UK</st1:country-region></st1:place>
founded the All African Women’s Group.</span></font></i></b><b><i><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>
</span></font></i></b><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>They
describe that when people hear directly about the suffering and injustice
they have experienced, both in their countries of origin and since their
arrival in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">UK</st1:country-region></st1:place>,
there is often an outpouring of sympathy, compassion and outrage.<b><i><span
style='font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'> </span></i></b></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:11.35pt;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:11.35pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><i><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;
font-style:italic'>“What we see that makes people angry is the lack of money
to help the vulnerable. Women and children are left destitute by
government policies while billions are squandered on war. We never hear
from government that there’s no money for these wars which kill and maim,
force us to flee our countries and drain the vital services everyone needs to
survive. Of course, we also experience hostility and discrimination
from some people, especially those in authority. But racist attacks
increase every time the government launches another witch-hunt against us as
‘bogus’ or ‘scroungers’ – we are held up as scapegoats for people’s
frustration at political and economic priorities which undermine most of us,
whether we were born here or not.” </span></font></i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial'><br>
But despite being isolated, denied access to dependable lawyers, subjected to
slave labour and negligent healthcare, abused and assaulted during
deportations, and terrorised by the threat of being sent back . . . women
continue to organise creatively in their own defence. <i><span
style='font-style:italic'><br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'><br>
<font color=maroon><span style='color:maroon'>For interviews with Ms Jawara
and others or more information:</span></font></span></b></span></i><br>
Maria Kasaga, All African Women’s Group, <a
href="mailto:aawg02@googlemail.com">aawg02@googlemail.com</a> <br>
Cristel Amiss, Black Women’s Rape Action Project, <a
href="mailto:bwrap@dircon.co.uk">bwrap@dircon.co.uk</a><br>
Crossroads Women’s Centre. <br>
<i><span style='font-style:italic'><br>
<font color=maroon><span style='color:maroon'>Sponsoring organisations:</span></font></span></i><font
color=maroon><span style='color:maroon'> </span></font>Legal Action for
Women, Women Against Rape, SOAS Visitors group & Yarl’s Wood Befrienders.</span></font><font
size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
line-height:normal'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>
<hr size=1 width="33%" align=left>
</span></font></div>
</div>
</div>
<div id=ftn1>
<p class=MsoFootnoteText><b><font size=1 color=blue face=Arial><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue;font-weight:bold'>[1]</span></font></b><font
size=1 face=Arial><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial'> A Bleak
House in Our Times: An investigation into women’s rights violations at Yarl’s
Wood Removal Centre, Legal Action for Women</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoFootnoteText><b><font size=1 color=blue face=Arial><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue;font-weight:bold'>[2] </span></font></b><font
size=1 face=Arial><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial'>SERCO Group
plc won an £85 million contract to run Yarl's Wood initially for three years,
with optional extensions up to eight years. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=1 color=blue
face=Arial><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue;
font-weight:bold'>[3]</span></font></b><font size=1 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <span class=hilite>UNHCR annual</span>
report, June 2009</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=1 color=blue
face=Arial><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue;
font-weight:bold'>[4]</span></font></b><font size=1 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial'> UNHCR <span class=hilite>Refugees
Magazine</span> Issue 126, April 2002</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=1 color=blue
face=Arial><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue;
font-weight:bold'>[5]</span></font></b><font size=1 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Can Migrants Save the Global
Economy? <a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/kar12232009.html">http://www.counterpunch.org/kar12232009.html</a>
</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal'><font size=1 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><hr<!--YMLPUF-->
size=1 width="50%" noshade color=black align=center> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal'><font size=1 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><a
href="http://ymlp198.com/u.php?YMLPID=guebujsgsgyeysg"><font color=black><span
style='color:black'>Change email address / Leave mailing list</span></font></a>
<br>
Powered by <a href="http://ymlp198.com/m/"><font color=black><span
style='color:black'>YourMailingListProvider</span></font></a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<!--YMLPUFE-->
</body>
</html>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">No virus found in this incoming message.<BR>
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com<BR>
Version: 9.0.725 / Virus Database: 270.14.130/2607 - Release Date: 01/08/10 07:35:00<BR>
</FONT></P>