I am a Human Being

14 May 2008

I AM A HUMAN BEING - Fatima (interviewed by Maggie Paterson)
Published in Amnesty Magazine Issue 149 May/June2008

THIS WAS FATIMA’S DESPERATE PLEA WHEN SHE AND HER 3 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WERE TURNED AWAY FROM YET ANOTHER PLACE OF SAFETY FROM HER VIOLENT HUSBAND, AFTER YEARS OF BEING TREATED LIKE A WORTHLESS POSSESSION SHE FOUND SHE HAD NOWHERE TO RUN TO. NEARLY TWO YEARS ON, SHE IS STILL IN LIMBO.

My husband changed as soon as we married. Before the wedding, he’d promised much, you know, the fantasy. Once we were married, it was as if I was his property. I was only 19 years old and almost immediately became pregnant. He seemed angry and tried to make me have an abortion, but it didn’t work. He left for the UK soon after, I was a virtual prisoner of my in laws in Pakistan.

When I brought our baby daughter to join him, I hoped things would be better. But I immediately found myself trapped as my husband got more violent, even towards Aisha. My daughter was only months old when he first slapped her.

I felt helpless; I didn’t know anything about the UK. I learned some English at school but didn’t understand the accent. All I could think was that I needed to be patient and always say “yes” to him. Otherwise my and my daughter’s life will be finished.

The violence went on for more than two years until the day I really thought he was going to kill us. I had to call the police and they arrested him.

I was terrified. I didn’t know where to go. I needed to get out of the flat because it was his and he’d got the keys. The police officer gave me a refuge’s number. But the first question was “What’s your status?” And when I told them I had no money and no way to receive benefit the answer was always “Sorry, we cannot help you”

I cried and cried “Please don’t say that, I’m a human being and I’ve got a child to look after. But they just said “Sorry”. Thisis when I found out I have no recourse on public funds

A police officer arranged for me to meet someone who might help and I just started crying. I said “Please help me, otherwise he will kill us”. The lady tried everywhere until social services said they would put Aisha and me in a hotel for one week.
For three days we lived without any proper food, because I hadn’t got any money. There was breakfast, but I am a Muslim. I cannot eat ham and bacon. Aisha needed milk.
I called social services and was told to come to the office. It was a long walk and I felt I would collapse. They gave me a letter to take to the Salvation Army. So again I had to walk far away to get the food. They gave me some tins, ham, bacon, Bolognese and a tin of pineapples – I didn’t have a tin opener. There were no basics like sugar, milk or bread.

We’re in a refuge now but I’m not like the other women. Every two or three months they tell me my funding is running out and I may have to leave and I don’t know where I’m going to go. I worry about it every day, it’s eating me inside. We wear donated clothes and sometimes I feed my daughter and I don’t eat. That’s gone on for a year and a half.

I’ve seen so many women come and go, buying new stuff for a home and settling down to make their lives. But I am stuck. And I’m always frightened he will find us.

In the end, he was found guilty of common assault and was tagged. Also he cannot come near me or Aisha. For that he will want revenge. His threats are always in my mind. “If I see Aisha I will snatch her from Fatima and take her back to my country and kill her”. He always said girls bring disgrace to their families.

Since my husband was arrested my in laws have threatened me and my parents. They even sent someone to my parent’s house. So my parents, who are old, are in hiding. I can’t get in touch with them.

So I am going to ask the government to help people like me. We are in Britain and women like me need somewhere our children can feel safe. We are victims of domestic violence, but this “no recourse to public funds” just draws a line between us and British women. But the same terrible things happened to both.

I would like to stay here in England. He tried to kill me here in the UK, which is a lawful country, can you imagine what those people will do if I go back? My case is taking a long time. Its one year and I haven’t heard anything.

FATIMA’S LIFE OF FEAR

My daughter was only about five months old, so she cried. My husband said “I don’t want to listen to this” and he slapped her.
Sometimes he would say, “Get out”. There were many times that I was sitting out on the stairs for the whole night. Sometimes Aisha got a dirty nappy that I needed to change, or I needed to go to the loo, but all I could do was wait for him to unlock the door.
He beat me twice a week, sometimes just once, it depended on his mood ….
I was frying samosas. He put the spoon into the hot oil and put it on my hands. He said “Next time it will be your whole body”.
I really thought hewas going to kill us. He started smashing things up and pulling everything out of the drawers. Aisha was scared and started crying so he slapped her hard. And suddenly, I felt like something bad was going to happen, so I told him I was going to call the police
He said “Oh I am going to fix you” He grabbed me and threw me on to the coffee table. My foot was cut by the glass. I was shouting for help. There were scissors on the table, so he grabbed them and was trying to stab me.
The lady who lived downstairs heard, so she knocked on the door. This distracted him and I managed to open it. He said “Go away, I will kill Fatima, just go away”, but the lady took me and Aisha to her flat.

NO RECOURSE, NO SAFETY

The UK’s “no recourse to public funds”, requirement is designed to prevent abuse of the public purse by people who are not UK citizens. But it traps women like Fatima in abusive relationships.

My comment – this is just another proof that ALL immigrants DO NOT RECEIVE BENEFITS in this country, nor do they get priority housing despite what the right wing want us to believe. Next time someone says this, show them this. Let them eat their words.

The government have acknowledged that this policy is discriminatory, and backed by the other major parties have made a statement recognising the need for a permanent solution.

At present people on student visas, work permits and spousal visas are not allowed to make claims on public funds, i.e. income support and housing benefit. For women subjected to domestic violence they are denied access to refuges.

Should you want any further information:
www.amnesty.org.uk/svaw