An Update on Janipher Maseko...
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Friday, June 08, 2007
From Morgan Gallagher:Just to catch you all up. First of all, thank you for your letters to the various officials. I think we can safely say they have made a difference!
Janipher and the kids were released from Yarl's Wood detention centre, last Friday, June 1st, the day she was going to be deported to Uganda. She's currently being housed in emergency bed & breakfast accomodation, prior to being found adequate housing.
She is safe from being deported in the short to medium term, whilst law suits against the police, Social Services and Immigration officials are undertaken by her lawyers. The lawyers who have agreed to take on her case, are specialists in this area.
In this time, she is supported on welfare. Her housing situation is not ideal, especially with a newborn and a tiny toddler but she has to stay in the system as it's set up.
Getting out of Yarl's Wood like this, is very rare, and the lawyers are sure that the international profile has helped.
However, Janipher and the kids may still end up deported. The asylum rules are very severe, and whilst there is no doubt the UK authorities acted illegally - and inhumanely - in their treatment of Janipher, and that this will addressed legally... it will likely not effect immigration status at all.
Deportation is a long term issue, however, and in the breathing space we have, many people are working to try and help Janipher and her babies recover from this ordeal.
Many politicians have been shocked by how she was treated, and how easily it could have been hidden from everyone - so we can only hope that this will help bring about long term change in both attitudes and proceedure.
So again - thank you everyone who wrote, emailed or faxed. I will keep you update, and rest assured - we will keep fighting for her. :-)
Morgan Gallagher www.nursingmatters.org.uk
Labels: Lactivism
What is it about her housing situation that is not idea?
Aplogies fro not catching this soooner - she was put in a one room bed and breakfast, with no child beds, limited abiity to wash her kids, or cook, and a manager who shouted at her and pushed her toddler around.
She is now housed in a one bedroom flat, which is on the ground floor, and she can wsh her and the kids, clothes, and cook. I came in to post this open link on an update, with photos. Jennifer, your have Janipher's permission to use the photos yourself. Morgan
http://community.livejournal.com/breastfeedinguk/101630.html
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