The threat of deportation in Rwanda has a “catastrophic” impact on the well-being of asylum seekers, charities have warned amid “tragic” reports that people are trying to take their own lives instead of being expelled from the UK.
Under a controversial government policy that has been widely condemned as inhumane and ineffective, a first group of asylum seekers will be sent to Rwanda on June 14 to process their applications.
Earlier, charities received reports that people to be deported were becoming suicidal or mentally ill. Even those unaffected by politics are becoming increasingly anxious and worried, activists say.
“We are receiving a number of alarming reports from our services working directly with people in the asylum system on the devastating impact that the threat of deportation to Rwanda has on them,” said Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council.
“We hear tragic stories of the severe impact on mental health, including reports of self-harm. We are concerned that the government does not see the person behind the case and must do much more to fulfill its duty to care for vulnerable people. “
Last week, The Independent reported that an Afghan man who came to the UK as a child tried to take his own life after being told he was facing deportation to Rwanda.
Hakim Khan, 32, said he would “rather die” than be sent to the East African nation after being detained at the Brook House relocation center this month.
“I tried to take my life the day before yesterday … I just want to be free, I want to be with my family, I want to be human,” said the asylum seeker, who first arrived in the UK as a child in 2008.
The Guardian reported the case of a woman seeking asylum in Iran who attempted suicide, telling charities that she had taken the action because she feared she would be deported to Rwanda.
“These are men, women and children who have already experienced so many traumas and cataclysms,” Mr Solomon added.
The Refugee Council said it had expressed concern about the mental health of asylum seekers in an open joint letter with the British Red Cross, which said Rwanda’s policies had left many asylum seekers worried and worried – “although they may not be directly affected. “
Last year, the Interior Ministry identified 17,440 asylum seekers who were considered vulnerable and called so-called “protection hubs”, according to data on freedom of information obtained from The Guardian.
Earlier this month, The Independent reported that asylum seekers were disappearing from hotels and were increasingly reluctant to seek support for fears they could be deported to Rwanda.
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