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The death of Mercy Baguma is appalling - don't let anyone tell you that it is just a one-off though. This has happened before, and without urgent policy change it is likely to happen again. Here's why (Thread) #NRPF #UKDestitution #HostileEnvironment
It seems impossible that this could happen in the UK, let alone repeatedly, but here are two other examples. In 2016, a mother and her two-year-old daughter starved to death in Kent: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/mum-toddler-who-starved-death-8797797
In 2010, a baby starved to death in London. His mother died soon after: https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/uk-border-agency-child-starves-death-eg-392225
Over the previous 10 years there have been 23 case reviews into child deaths where the child had no recourse to public funds (NRPF). The circumstances of these deaths are complicated, but what they have in common is that the child's vulnerabilities were exacerbated by NRPF.
The NRPF rule prevents most migrants to the UK from accessing a list of welfare benefits including universal credit, child benefit, and homelessness assistance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-funds--2/public-funds
This means that if someone with NRPF becomes unemployed, they risk becoming destitute, reliant on support from charities (or if they have children, and meet the criteria, subsistence support from children's services under section 17 of the Children Act).
It gets worse though, because, as a punishment for staying in the UK without government authorisation, undocumented migrants (unlike other migrants with NRPF) aren't even allowed to work, so face indefinite destitution.
There are well-established networks of support from churches, gurdwaras, charities & informal groups all over the UK which prevent people with NRPF starving to death ('hospitable environments' if you like), but sometimes, for a variety of reasons people slip through this net.
This is not an example of policy failure, it's immigration control working exactly as it was intended to. Theresa May (and Liam Byrne before her) famously pledged to "create, here in Britain, a really hostile environment for illegal immigrants" - this is what they meant!
This predates the current government. As early as 2007, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights said that the Home Office was pursuing a deliberate policy of destitution towards refused asylum seekers https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200607/jtselect/jtrights/81/81ii.pdf
The use of destitution as a means of controlling immigration is so baked into our immigration system, that it's even defined in law (Section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999): https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/33/section/95
When Lynne Mutumba starved to death in Kent, the case review concluded that: "Lawful and efficient responses are not...enough to compensate for the very particular vulnerabilities of the extremely marginalised group... who have NRPF" https://www.medway.gov.uk/mscb/downloads/file/163/2018-serious-case-review---ellie-overview-report
The law can't prevent children with NRPF starving to death. When the government restricts access to welfare services in the hope that people will leave the UK, sometimes children will starve. That's the horrible, brutal truth. This is statutory neglect: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327321596_No_Recourse_to_Social_Work_Statutory_Neglect_Social_Exclusion_and_Undocumented_Migrant_Families_in_the_UK
...and here's where it gets awkward. These policies are popular. 74% of the British public thinks that people should have to prove their immigration status before renting a house, for example: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2018/04/27/where-public-stands-immigration
We need to relentlessly drive this point home: If people vote for hostile immigration policies, more children will starve to death. There's not really any wriggle room here.
You can donate to the @PositiveActionH appeal for funds to support Mercy Baguma's child here: https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/14196#!/DonationDetails
@NELMAcampaigns @SBSisters @Project17UK (& many others) do great work campaigning on the NRPF issue, and are worth a follow and/or donation.
@NELMAcampaigns @SBSisters @Project17UK (& many others) do great work campaigning on the NRPF issue, and are worth a follow and/or donation.
If you have spare time or a spare room, you can volunteer to support destitute asylum seekers. Find your local project here: https://naccom.org.uk/projects/ (and if you're in the West Mids, consider supporting @Birchnetwork (I'm biased, but they do great work)
