[sheffield-noborders] request from sukula campaign
fabian
fab at in-no.org
Tue Aug 23 13:12:14 BST 2005
Hi there...
after Alison from Sheffield now Jason Travis from the sukula Family
campaign in Bolton asked Sheffield noborders to support their march on 1st
October and postpone the Magical mystery tour by a week or so. I asked him
to explain why the call for decentralised action was revised in favor of a
call for a national march in Bolton and I forward his answer so we can
make a decision about this in tomorrows meeting.
I think if we decide to support the Bolton march we should think about how
we actually do that (other then just us five or six going there)...
options would be to organize transport from Sheffield or think about a
colorful contribution to the march...
However what is most pressing for tomorrows agenda is obviously the party
on the ninth September. It looks all very smoth though and we have by now
a very good flyer design by Ben...you can see at the wiki
http://wiki.sheffieldsocialforum.org.uk/Delete_the_border
but have a look a Jasons email and we will talk tomorrow...
Cheers
Fabian
---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Re: [nobordersmanchester] Call out: Magical Mystery Tour in
Sheffield 1st October From: "Jason Travis"
<jason2inethiopia at yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Mon, August 22, 2005 7:34 pm
To: fab at in-no.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Fabian
Thanks for your points. The call for a national demo in Bolton came from
Steve Cohen, who, bizarrely enough, also was involved in the call for a
national day of action. I suppose in a way it might just be considered in
one sense slightly unfortunate timing, though in a sense the events can be
seen to support each other.
The Sukula Family Must Stay campaign originated as an anti-deportation
campaign growing out of the school I worked at and Daniel Sukula attended
(he's just finished his GCSEs) and you can read a little bit on our
website www.sukula.org which however is very due for an overhaul.
The thing that I suppose makes us think it's urgent to have a demo in
Bolton is the fact that the SUkulas like quite a few other families have
had all their benfits withdrawn and been threatened with eviction and the
children being taken into care.
The Sukulas see the campaign as fighting against all deportations and
against Section 9 for all families- and indeed we in the campaign want to
see an end to all immigration control (that anyway is the famiuly's and
the majority'ds position though there is a range of opinion on this)
If we can somehow liaise to have Sheffield come over to Bolton and we can
come over for your mystery tour on naother day that would be brilliant but
if people feel that too much prep work has gone intpo Oct 1st Sheffiled
events then that's cool. I sup[pose I think trhat a more centralised
demo, given the urgencyof fighting against this threat of taking children
into care and the media attention this has generated (various Guardian
articles, Channel 4 news and hopefullty breakfast BBC tommorow), is
appropirate in this case but of course we'll respect your decision either
way and wish you all the best with your group and campaign and we'll
definitely come over for any events you want, wherr we can. Please feel
free to distribute this.
Cheerrs
Jason
Note mother's name Lusukumu so sometimes referred to as Lusukumu family
but children's surname Sukala.
The family have had their benefits taken away under controversial new
asylum law, section 9 of the 2004 Act, condemned by British Association of
Social Workers, with the family facing evcition and children being taken
into care (as featured on Channel 4 news last Thursday and The Guardian)
Bolton NUT said in a press release, "The decision to terminate benefits
for the Sukula family is a brutal act which is clearly against the best
interests of the children. There is a lot of anger and concern in Bolton
over this case with over 2000 local people signing a petition asking the
Home Secretary to let the Sukalas stay. The Sukulas and people like them
make a wonderful contributiuon to our community zand wish to contribute
economically (Flores is training to be a midwife, Daniel wants to be a
plumber). Instead they are forced into destitiution. We call on the
government to reverse this brutal policy immediately and Bolton Council to
provide for the family as a whole in the best interests of the children.
The government claims Every Child Matters: this should include asylum
seekers as well."
Contact: Jason Travis
07976476181
Councils call for review of asylum law that strips families of benefits
David Ward
Tuesday August 9, 2005
The Guardian
A group of local councils yesterday demanded an urgent review of
legislation that can leave failed asylum seekers homeless and
destitute,
and their children taken into care.
In a letter to the Home Office, the councils, 10 in Greater Manchester and
one in Lancashire, say they want the review to ensure that children are
not subjected to distress.
Previously, anyone with children under 18 would still qualify for
support if refused asylum. But under section nine of the Asylum and
Immigration Act 2004, support can be withdrawn from a family if no attempt
is made to leave Britain.
Article continues
The provision is being piloted in three areas including Greater
Manchester before being extended nationwide. Campaigners have denounced it
as inhumane.
The National Asylum Support Service has already told two families that
benefits - including the rent of council-owned homes - will be stopped.
Both families appealed last week. The Lusukumu family from Bolton, with
five of six children under 16, lost and should have handed back the keys
of the home last Friday. Ngiedi Lusukumu and four of her children fled
persecution in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
But the Khanali family from Iran, who live in nearby Bury, won. They have
two children, one of them still breastfeeding. Their victory may provide
grounds for a judicial review for the Lusukumu family.
Basil Curley, a Manchester councillor and chairman of the consortium of
north-west councils, said in a statement: "The aim of the section nine
process was to change the behaviour of families of failed asylum
seekers
and to increase the number of voluntary returns.
"In light of recent experiences ... the board wants a review of the pilot
to be conducted as a matter of urgency."
A Home Office spokeswoman said yesterday that the issues would be
discussed with Nass. She said: "We hope that families whose support is
stopped will act responsibly and leave with their children.
"But where they do not we must act to ensure the needs of the children are
met."
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,11026,1545227,00.html
PRESS RELEASE from BASW (British Association of Social Workers)
For Immediate Release – 5th August 2005
BASW Statement/Press Release on the implementation of Section 9 of the
Asylum and Immigration Act 2004
The British Association of Social Workers deplores the implementation of
Section 9 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 2004. Whilst we appreciate
that difficult decisions sometimes need to be made about immigration and
deportation, as long as individuals remain in the UK they must have their
human rights respected. It is inhumane to withdraw all means of basic
support from children and their families rendering them destitute. This
brutal power is not only an infringement on the human rights of children
and families but also calls into question our standing in the
international community given our commitment and obligations as a nation
state to the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human
Rights. The rights and freedoms enshrined in the Convention are
applicable to all individuals including non-citizens who we have a duty to
protect.
Furthermore, the possibility of children’s social services removing
children from their families as a result of Section 9 is incompatible with
UK childcare legislation which upholds the fundamental right of all
children to live with and be cared for by their parents. Local
authorities have a duty under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 to
safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need and their upbringing
by their families. In conformity with Article 9 of the UN Convention of
the Rights of the Child, children should only be removed from their
families when it is in their best interests. The separation of children
from their parents, even for short periods of time can result in life long
emotional damage. What is more, it is wholly inappropriate to use the
threat of their removal as a means of coercing their parents to
voluntarily leave the United Kingdom.
BASW calls for urgent intervention by the Children’s Commissioner for
England Professor Al Aynsley-Green in terms of the judgement that was
passed yesterday by the Asylum Support Adjudicator against the Sukula
family and other families who are likely to face a similar terrible
plight. Finally, BASW calls upon the Government to unequivocally direct
children’s social services departments to place their fundamental duty to
uphold the right to family life before other considerations.
ENDS
For further information contact:
Ian Johnston
Director (BASW)
Tel: 0121 622 8412
Mob :07775 903505
Fax: 0121 622 4860
Email: i.johnston at basw.co.uk
Nushra Mapstone
Professional Officer (England)
Tel: 0121 622 8411
Mob: 07876 594539
Fax: 0121 622 4860
Email: n.mapstone at basw.co.uk
Gordon Jones
Chair (BASW)
Email: jonesgh at bridgend.gov.uk
NCADC News Service
==========
The Sukula family from Bolton, whose campaign to stay in Britain has won
strong local support, is one of the first to face new powers to separate
asylum-seeking children from their parents.
[Stop deporting children - National Day of Action November 19th 2005]
Sukula children face being separated from their parents and placed in
care under new powers
By Arun Kundnani, *Institute of Race Relations Friday 29th July 2005
http://www.irr.org.uk/2005/july/ak000015.html
Powers introduced under last year's Asylum and Immigration Act, which
allow the Home Office to cut off support to families with children whose
asylum claims have been rejected, are now coming into effect. The result
is that, as parents are driven into homelessness, their children will be
taken from them and placed in the care of social
services. A family in Bolton - whose campaign to stay in Britain has been
strongly supported by the local newspaper and thousands of local people -
is one of the first to face such a grim fate. Ngiedi
Lusukumu, a mother of six children, the youngest of whom is seven
months old, has received a letter from the Home Office informing her that
she will be evicted from her accommodation on 5 August 2005. The
withdrawal of support, states the letter, 'may lead to you being
separated from your children if, as a consequence of you being left
destitute, you are unable to look after them and Bolton Social
Services is obliged to provide them with
accommodation and care'.
Ngiedi Lusukumu said, with her daughter Flores translating, 'I don't
want us to be split up. We just want to stick together as a family. This
is a really worrying situation and we need people to help us
because we have not got any other option. We cannot go back to Congo
because it is really dangerous for us there.'
The Schools Against Deportation campaign, which is supporting the
family, said: 'The Home Office's letter amounts to a threat to a
woman and her six children that, unless she leaves the country, she will
be made homeless and separated from her children, which is
clearly immoral and probably unlawful. What possible justification can
there be for taking these children away from their mother,
especially as the people of Bolton have made it clear that they want the
family to remain in Britain?'
The family is also being supported by teachers at the secondary
school attended by some of the children. One of the teachers, Jason
Travis, said: 'Separating children from their parents and placing
them in care, for no other reason than their parents' immigration
status, can never be in their best interests. It is a measure which is
contrary to the spirit of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
which states that the best interests of children should be
paramount. Local authority social services departments are already
over-stretched with cases of children who are genuinely in need of
protection without adding cases of families whose only problem is
state-imposed destitution.'
Ngiedi is currently being accommodated in Great Lever, Bolton, by the
National Asylum Support Service. Her youngest child Benedict is seven
months old, Exhauce is two years old, Sarah is four, Destin is six, Daniel
is fifteen and Flores eighteen. Over two thousand people in Bolton and
elsewhere have signed a petition calling for the family to stay in
Britain. The petition has also been supported by the Bolton Evening News.
Under Section 9 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of
Claimants, etc.) Act 2004, currently being piloted in Greater
Manchester, families can be left entirely destitute, save for the
obligations of local authorities under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989
to provide accommodation for any child in need within their area - which
entails separating the children from their parents.
Sukula Family Must Stay - No Deportations!
National Demonstration - Saturday 1st October 2005
Assemble: 12:00 -
Lever Edge Lane Community Primary School,
Lever Edge Lane, Bolton. Bl3 3Hp
March To Bolton Town Hall
Demonstration Supported By:
Sukula Family Must Stay Campaign, National Assembly Against Racism, Bolton
Metro UNISON, Bolton National Union of Teachers, Schools Against
Deportations, No One Is Illegal, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit,
National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, Campaign Against Racism
& Fascism (CARF).
Inquiries/further information:
Sukula Family Must Stay campaign
c/o 16 Wood Street, Bolton. BL1 1DY.
Jason Travis on 07976 476181
info at sukula.org
Background:
Sukula Family Must Stay
Schools Against Deportation
15-year-old Daniel launches anti-deportation campaign
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
*Footnote: The Institute of Race Relations is precluded from expressing a
corporate view: any opinions expressed are therefore those of the authors.
End of Bulletin:
Source for this Message:
IRR News Team <news at irr.org.uk>
fabian <fab at in-no.org> wrote:
Hi Jason, thanks for your email.
I understood the call out at the Manchester NOII meeting in June for
decentralized actions on 1st October...and this is why we in Sheffield
decided to pick the same date as the Bolton march...
Technically it's no problem to pick another date for the tour but
apparently at least in Birminham and London people are planning stuff for
1st October locally as well.
Sheffield is reasonably close to Bolton, but still I think we cannot
expect to mobilize too many people from here comming over to Bolton. Thats
partly because as a group we've just started and hope and believe that
actions in Sheffield will help us to become bigger...however
we have a meeting of Sheff no borders on Wednesday to discuss and decide
about this question and then I'll get back to you.
It would be helpful though for our meeting if you could provide me with
some information about the case of the sukula family to understand what
happened since NOII meeting in manchester that makes you and others favor
a central (national) march rather then decentralized actions as agreed in
Manchester. And also I think it would be good to know better, how many
local collectives in the UK have responded to the call from Manchester
NOII conference and are planning stuff for the 1st October.
Cheers
> Hi Fabian
> It's Jason here from Sukula family Must Stay campaign. I've been away so
sorry for delay in response. it sounds great what you're proposing. is
there any way though it could be postponed to the sunday or the week after
as there is a national demo in Bolton against section 9 (the law that
threatens eviction and taking chi;ldren off failed asylum seekers as well
as making them destitute) on same day. we're also fighting against all
deportations and the new immigration act.
> cheers
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