iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Today we launch the first commentary in our Real Impact Series, analysing the government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls and its failure to address No Recourse to Public Funds. Read here: southallblacksisters.org.uk/news/nrpf-th... 1/ 🧵

Graphic for the first blog in Southall Black Sisters’ Real Impact series on the government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, with this first instalment focusing on No Recourse to Public Funds. The design features black and white text on a maroon background set against a beige textured paper.

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Selma Taha @selmataha8.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Domestic abuse reached crisis levels during the pandemic. Migrant victim-survivors with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) were trapped in a triple bind of Covid-19, domestic abuse, and the threat of deportation and destitution. 1/5

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Today, we remember Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered in a racist attack in 1993. We honour his legacy by highlighting institutional racism and the urgent need for change. The Met police's acceptance of the findings of the Casey Review is a key first step. Rest in power, Stephen.

Image depicting Stephen Lawrence in a B&W striped t-shirt against a background with leaves. Image credited to The Guardian.

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Michelle Sparman tragically died by suicide amid concerns of coercive control. An inquest into her death and any failure by agencies to act opens on Mon, 27 Jan for 3-4 days. Join us at Inner West London Coroner's Court to demand answers. Details 👇🏾 southallblacksisters.org.uk/news/inquest...

Inquest into the death of Michelle Sparman opens on Monday, 27th January 2025.

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

The inquest into Michelle's death is open. Michelle died by suicide in 2021. Her family has raised concerns of coercive control from Michelle's ex-partner. Noting these, MyLondon reports on Michelle's ex-partner's admission about the 'flood' of texts. 1/3 www.mylondon.news/news/south-l...

mylondon.news

Mum who took her own life 'bombarded with texts and bullied into relationship'

Michelle Sparman's former partner Roger Stephens agreed he sent too many texts but insists his behaviour was borne out of the grief of losing his relationship and that he 'absolutely' loved her

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

✊🏾 Sisters' resistance Last week, over 40 of us came together in Ilford to commemorate Harshita's life. The vigil marked a unified call for Harshita's perpetrator and the institutions that routinely fail migrant women like her to be held to account. Video credit @channel4news.bsky.social.

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

Over 40 of us gathered in Ilford today to honour Harshita's life and to demand justice for her murder. We called on the government to ensure accountability for Harshita's perpetrator and to provide life-saving support for migrant victim-survivors. 1/2 southallblacksisters.org.uk/news/southal...

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MILLION WOMEN RISE MOVEMENT @millionwomenrise.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

Join the Million Women Rise SATURDAY 8TH MARCH on INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY Central London 12pm metro.co.uk/2024/11/25/i...

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Harshita’s life was tragically cut short by abuse. Her murder underscores the scourge of VAWG and highlights statutory services’ repeated failures to safeguard Black, minoritised and migrant women. Join us on Friday, 24th January to commemorate Harshita and to demand justice for her murder. 1/2

Join us for a vigil in memory of Harshita Brella to honour her life and demand justice for her murder.

Friday, 24th January 2025.

Location and time to be confirmed. Details to follow.

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, please call our helpline on 020 8571 0800 or email info@southallblacksisters.co.uk. We provide free and confidential advice to support women and girls to live free of violence and fear. southallblacksisters.org.uk

southallblacksisters.org.uk

Home - Southall Black Sisters

Originally set up in 1979, Southall Black Sisters (SBS) has established itself as an iconic organisation based in West London, but with a national reach and reputation for its landmark legal intervent...

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Selma Taha @selmataha8.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

We, the signatories, stand with Kongra Star in demanding that women's rights be upheld and that DAANES be protected. To do their part, the UK govt must ensure that the Rojava model is allowed to flourish, including through suspension of the arms trade with Turkey. See our statement below 👇🏾👇🏾

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

Earlier this year, we launched the #InvestingInSafety model resources that estimate that ‘by and for’ services yield net savings of over £127 million nationally over 3-years. 1/3 southallblacksisters.org.uk/submissions-...

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Maryam Aldossari @maryamaldossari.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

Israeli forces arrest Gaza hospital chief after ‘burning doctors and patients alive’. Troops beat Hussam Abu Safiya and kidnapped him alongside other doctors, leaving northern Gaza without any health services. www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli...

middleeasteye.net

Israeli forces arrest Gaza hospital chief after ‘burning doctors and patients alive’

Troops beat Hussam Abu Safiya and kidnapped him alongside other doctors, leaving northern Gaza without any health services

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Maryam Aldossari @maryamaldossari.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

Israeli forces ‘sexually assaulted, beat and insulted women’ during Gaza hospital raid. The violence against women included stripping off their clothes, touching them under the threat of violence, beating them and hurling sexual insults at them. www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli...

middleeasteye.net

Israeli forces ‘sexually assaulted, beat and insulted women’ during Gaza hospital raid

Eyewitnesses describe violence against women, girls and patients in new report

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Kiri Tunks @kiritunks.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

And thanks to @labwomendec.bsky.social for inviting me to speak about women in the labour movement at their Labour Party fringe this year. @filiacharity.bsky.social is building a union network for women. Get in touch! www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUle...

youtube.com

Kiri Tunks (Filia) - Unions & Labour Movement for Women, Conference 2024.

YouTube video by Labour Women's Declaration

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Maryam Aldossari @maryamaldossari.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

UN committee condemns Israel’s disregard for international orders. Nearly 44,500 Palestinians killed, 105,000 injured, and essential infrastructure—homes, hospitals, schools—devastated in Gaza, fueling an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

ohchr.org

Gaza: UN committee alarmed by Israel’s blatant disregard for binding international orders

GENEVA – The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) today expressed its alarm about Israel’s flagrant disregard for its international legal obligations and International Court...

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Selma Taha @selmataha8.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

📢Tune in to Newsnight tonight! Our Campaign & Policy Manager will discuss Harshita Brella's case, the crisis of VAWG, and how Black, minoritised, and migrant women are repeatedly failed by the system. Join the call for justice and change. #Newsnight #EndVAWG

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Sisters Salon Brighton #CreatingWomensSpaces @sisterssalon.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

UPDATE: A man has handed himself in to the police & been arrested. Our thoughts are with his victim. #StopRape #16Days #Hastings

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Sisters Salon Brighton #CreatingWomensSpaces @sisterssalon.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

Do you know this man? New CCTV footage has been released in an appeal to find a man who forced his way into a woman’s Hastings home and raped her. #Hastings #SistersSalon #StopRape www.theargus.co.uk/news/2477884...

theargus.co.uk

New CCTV footage released of man linked to rape incident

New CCTV footage has been released in an appeal to find a man who forced his way into a woman’s home and raped her.

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Purna @purnasen.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

#Cambridge #University urged to apologise over jailing of thousands of ‘evil’ #women without evidence or trial A 1561 charter granted powers to imprison young #working-class women found walking with undergraduates after dark www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

The photo is an extract of text from this article:

Corporal punishments were also used, Biggs discovered. In 1748, the vice-chancellor paid the town crier 10 shillings to whip “10 unruly women”, Spinning House accounts show. Prison inspectors frequently condemned the jail, which the social historian Henry Mayhew called an “abomination” in 1851, noting the keeper pulled the girls’ hair if they didn’t keep quiet and threw them into solitary confinement.

“The prison was notoriously cold and damp, and the food was just bread and sometimes gruel,” Biggs said.

In December 1846, the 17-year-old Elizabeth Howe died after spending a night in a Spinning House cell with a broken window and a damp bed.

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Sisters Salon Brighton #CreatingWomensSpaces @sisterssalon.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

A 1561 charter granted powers to imprison young working-class women found walking with undergraduates after dark. More than 5,000 were arrested in the 19th century alone. Cambridge did not grant degrees to women until 1940- the last Uni to do so. www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

theguardian.com

Cambridge University urged to apologise over jailing of thousands of ‘evil’ women without evidence or trial

A 1561 charter granted powers to imprison young working-class women found walking with undergraduates after dark

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

J’s account underscores the additional barriers to support migrant victim-survivors with insecure immigration status encounter. It demonstrates the life-saving importance of ‘by and for’ service intervention & the vitality of the combined MVDAC-DVILR model in ensuring safety. #16CaseStudiesFor16Days

J, a migrant woman, endured abuse throughout marriage, which escalated after her pregnancy. She was subjected to physical, economic, emotional, and sexual abuse, including rape and coercive control by her husband.

J met the perpetrator while on holiday in the UK, and their relationship continued long-distance before they married on her home island. After moving to the UK, J was coerced into selling her house, and her husband spent the proceeds, leaving her financially dependent.

Following threats to kill from her husband, J fled with her three-month-old son and contacted the police. Social services intervened, and J and her son were placed in safe accommodation. As a migrant woman, J faced additional challenges due to her insecure immigration status. With the completion of her Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) application, she gained the right to claim benefits and apply for housing.

Although J was relocated to another area for her safety, welfare calls and referrals ensured she could access support in her new location. An application for her indefinite leave to remain (ILR) was successfully submitted, and she has now been granted permanent residency.

J is beginning to rebuild her life in safety, free from violence and control, with the necessary support to secure stability for herself and her child.

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Selma Taha @selmataha8.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

Enduring the horrific racist attack followed by the sustained threat of criminal sanction perpetrated by an institutionally racist justice system has left us with scars for life. However, we refuse to simply accept these disparate outcomes. 1/2

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Selma Taha @selmataha8.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

As Harshita is laid to rest, we hold her family, friends, and loved ones in our thoughts during this immense time of loss. Her life, full of promise and light, was taken far too soon-a devastating reminder of the state’s ongoing failures to protect migrant women and deliver justice.

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Sisters Salon Brighton #CreatingWomensSpaces @sisterssalon.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

Sign & Share #Action7 #16Days #16DaysOfActivism I stand by the women & girls of Afghanistan & Iran and demand that we expand the legal definition of apartheid under international laws. Join me #EndGenderApartheid #16Days #SistersSalon #RespectWomen endgenderapartheid.today/index.php

endgenderapartheid.today

End Gender Apartheid

Join the Global action to end gender apartheid in Iran and Afghanistan today

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Kiri Tunks @kiritunks.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

Women (including several of a certain age) meeting up, having thoughts and saying them out loud. A wonderful afternoon with wonderful sisters.

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Sisters Salon Brighton #CreatingWomensSpaces @sisterssalon.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

#16Days #16Actions #RespectWomen Chilling on the sofa? Scrolling? STOP! Easy actions you can take from your phone to challenge & end male violence against women & girls. Actions on a range of issue... get involved! #Action7 Make gender apartheid a crime against humanity

brightonsisters.wordpress.com

Action Seven #RespectWomen

Action One #Respect Women Join the Global action to end gender apartheid in Iran and Afghanistan today Make gender apartheid a crime against humanity Sign the letter Narges Mohammadi letter&nb…

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Purna @purnasen.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

#16DaysOfAction joins us together globally, asks as to think of and support each other and reminds us that the struggle is shared In #Turkey #women were detained on #IDEVAW while calling for greater protections against #VAW 411 #Femicides in 2024 so far #solidarity apnews.com/article/turk...

apnews.com

Police in Turkey detain demonstrators seeking more protection for women against violence

Police have detained dozens of people in Istanbul who tried to join a rally calling for greater protection for women in Turkey, where more than 400 women have been murdered this year.

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Aurora New Dawn @auroranewdawn.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

Violence against women & girls thrives in cultures where men & #MiddleClassMenOfACertainAge feel they can behave with impunity in the workplace #GreggWallace Women deserve safe, respectful workplaces #middleclasswomenofacertainage #WeBelieveYou Safety I Support I Advocacy I Empowerment

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Carve Her Name @carvehername.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

“The more we gave in, the more we complied with that kind of treatment, the more oppressive it became.” #OnThisDay, 1 Dec 1955, Rosa Parks does *not* give up her seat on the bus for a white passenger, and is arrested. #WomenInHistory #OTD #History #WomensHistory #AmericanHistory 🗃️ 1/4

Mugshot of Rosa Parks after her arrest. She is a black woman with glasses.

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Caroline Bernard @carolinebernard.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

On Day 6 of #16DaysOfActivism I am supporting @sbsisters.bsky.social call to end No Recourse to Public Funds - once and for all #NRPF #migrantwomen

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Selma Taha @selmataha8.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

NRPF isn't just a policy; it's a tool of control. For over 2.58 million people in the UK, its impact is devastating—especially for migrant women trapped in abuse. Join us in our #FightForChange this #16DaysOfActivism by calling on the govt to abolish NRPF.

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The New Arab @thenewarab.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

In recent days, Palestinian-Jordanian singer Zeyne has gone somewhat viral for her new song Ana Asli, and the stunning music video clip that accompanies it. It’s not hard to see why 🔗 www.newarab.com/features/zey...

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

T’s account is a stark example of the weaponisation of migrant victim-survivors’ immigration status. Immigration specialism, part of the holistic, wraparound support ‘by and for’ services such as ours offer, is vital to these victim-survivors’ safety. 1/2 #16CaseStudiesFor16DaysOfActivism

“I’ve had a wonderful experience with [Southall Black Sisters]. I always feel supported and reassured when I talk to a member of the team. Now, I feel so much more relaxed and confident, with faith that we can work together to create a better future for my daughter and me. The support I’ve received goes beyond just casework—I truly feel emotionally supported as well.“

T self-referred to Southall Black Sisters’ (SBS) helpline, explaining that the verbal abuse began when she married the perpetrator. Desperate to leave her home country due to the instability and insecurity caused by a civil conflict, she lived in a transit country with their daughter where the perpetrator visited her a few times as he resided in the UK.

When T arrived in the UK in 2017, she discovered that the perpetrator was addicted to khat, a leafy plant drug stimulant which causes severe mental health problems. She later discovered he was taking psychotic medications due to his addiction, a fact her cousin had not informed her of when she introduced them. The perpetrator would chew khat multiple times throughout the week, and subject T to severe emotional and psychological abuse, as well as controlling and coercive behaviour. The perpetrator threatened to cancel her Spouse Visa and claimed that no one would be able to help her because she was not British.

SBS was able to determine her immigration status and ensure she applied for the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC), provided financial support, and continues to advocate with Children’s Social Services to ensure she receives inter-agency support.

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Selma Taha @selmataha8.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

The impact you’ve had on women’s rights has been immense. Thank you to all the women who made it happen - your work will pave the way for change! 💜 #WPUK

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

The SMV is a vital safety net for migrant victim-survivors. However, more money is needed for longer as is investment in bridging the gap between demand and provision. This #16DaysOfActivism, join us in our #FightForChange by calling on the govt to renew and expand the SMV.

During the passage of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 through Parliament, Southall Black Sisters (SBS) had introduced amendments to expand the combined model of the Destitute Domestic Violence Concession (DDVC) and Domestic Violence Indefinite Leave to Remain Rule (DVILR) to all victim-survivors regardless of their immigration status. Despite having cross-party support and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s (DAC) approval, the government claimed it needed more evidence before undertaking any long-term policy reform. In lieu of such reform, the government introduced the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) pilot scheme.

Funded by the Home Office, the SMV provides 12-weeks of rent and subsistence support for up to 500 migrant victim-survivors each year. Funded initially for 1-year, the SMV has since been repeatedly renewed and is currently due to expire in March 2025. The extensions of the SMV indicate that the Home Office acknowledges the need to provide financial assistance to migrant victim-survivors with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). Indeed, the SMV has proven to be a vital safety net, as affirmed by the evaluations undertaken by the Home Office and the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU) at London Metropolitan University.

However, more money is needed for longer. Current rates of provision are lower than Universal Credit, and much of the wraparound support is provided by delivery partners including SBS in-kind. Despite recent increases to address the cost-of-living crisis, many victim-survivors are still unable to find safe housing or sanctuary due to exorbitant rents. Resultantly, victim-survivors and their children are put in unsuitable accommodations such as bed and breakfasts or hotels. Additionally, some refuges are hesitant to accept referrals if financing is only available for limited time, especially in complex immigration matters.

Moreover, there is an urgent need for additional funding, as research commissioned by the DAC estimates the number of victim-survivors requiring refuge or accommodation support to be closer to 7,700. There is thus a significant gap between need and provision under the SMV.

Join us in calling on the government to: Renew and expand the support available under the SMV, both in terms of the number of victim-survivors assisted and the duration as well as provisioning of support under it, to enable migrant victim-survivors with NRPF to access this vital safety net.

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Huge shout out to @sisterssalon.bsky.social for supporting us in our endeavour to empower Black, minoritised and migrant women and girls to escape abuse and lead lives free of fear and violence. Your voice can further strengthen our calls for action. #16DaysOfActivism

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

☕🥐 We began today with a coffee-morning celebration of #16DaysOfActivism with the victim-survivors we support and their children. We are uplifted by the commitment towards change and the spirit of sisterhood that keeps that commitment going. ✊

Preparations for the coffee-morning celebration at Southall Black Sisters as part of 16 Days of Activism, featuring assorted food and drinks.

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

For #16CaseStudiesFor16DaysOfActivism, we share G’s account of the complexities migrant victim-survivors face upon fleeing abuse and seeking help. G’s account highlights the value of specialist, community-based ‘by and for’ intervention in helping women lead lives free of violence.

“[Southall Black Sisters] surpassed expectations […]. I appreciate the help in my life and [for] my children. At this crucial moment, going through painful emotions, childcare, immigration, domestic abuse, financial difficulties, there I discovered SBS that came to set me free. They kept me abreast of all procedures until my Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession was granted, I jumped for joy! Thank you so much SBS.”

G contacted Southall Black Sisters’ (SBS) helpline seeking assistance as a victim-survivor of domestic abuse. As a migrant woman on a Spouse Visa with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF), all the professionals G had sought help from were unsure about how to support G and her children due to her immigration status.

Even though G is from outside our catchment area, our helpline advocated on her behalf by liaising with Social Services. SBS’ Legal Services assisted G by applying for the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) which allowed G temporary recourse to public funds while she applied to regularise her immigration status. G is currently looking to move into safe accommodation along with her children.

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Selma Taha @selmataha8.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

We, at @SBSisters, are grateful for @SistersSalon2’s unwavering solidarity. This #16DaysOfActivism, join us in our #FightForChange by championing our campaigns for equality and justice for Black, minoritised and migrant victim-survivors.

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Aurora New Dawn @auroranewdawn.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Nearly one million women in the UK are trapped in dangerous relationships because of financial abuse, according to a groundbreaking study shared with Channel 4 News. Campaigners say successive governments have failed to tackle this “hidden crisis.” #16Days www.channel4.com/news/financi...

channel4.com

Financial abuse leaves ‘nearly one million women in UK trapped’

The charity Surviving Economic Abuse says governments have failed to tackle a “hidden crisis”, leaving survivors unable to flee or rebuild their lives.

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Selma Taha @selmataha8.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Palestinians are not only mourning their loved ones lost to relentless violence but now face the additional agony of grave desecrations and body theft. These acts compound their suffering and reveal the depth of dehumanization at play.

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Jeni Harvey @gappytales.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

On the week of the international day for the elimination of violence against women, this series of interviews conducted by an expert in the sector has never been more important. Women need their own spaces to process and recover. The fight to protect them has been costly.

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

The weaponisation of migrant victim-survivors’ immigration status by perpetrators is mirrored by the state in such data-sharing practices that give rise to valid fears of deportation and discourage migrant victim-survivors from coming forward. 2/2 #16DaysOfActivism #FightForChange

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

This #16DaysOfActivism, join us in our #FightForChange by calling on the government to urgently institute a firewall to prevent data-sharing between the police and other statutory agencies and Immigration Enforcement. 1/2

Migrant victim-survivors’ immigration status is routinely weaponised by perpetrators to keep them trapped in abuse. Institutionalised practices of data-sharing between the police and other statutory agencies with Immigration Enforcement (IE) mirror this weaponisation by instilling the fear of deportation among victim-survivors with insecure immigration status. A recent report by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner (DAC) confirms this, evidencing that every single police force in England and Wales has shared data on migrant victim-survivors with IE over a 3-year period. As a result, migrant victim-survivors are discouraged from coming forward to report abuse.

In 2018, Southall Black Sisters (SBS) and Liberty launched the first ever police super-complaint to challenge this practice of data-sharing. The resultant report Safe to Share? published in 2020 highlighted the harm caused to victim-survivors and the public interest due to such data-sharing. It confirmed that IE does not perform a safeguarding function, and placed the onus of safeguarding on the police in conjunction with suitable specialist partner agencies. We welcomed the response, and urged the government to urgently implement a firewall.

In 2021, the government published the Home Office and Police Data Sharing Arrangements on Migrant Victims and Witnesses of Crime with Insecure

Immigration Status, in which it rejected the findings of the super-complaint and the sector’s call for a firewall. Instead, it proposed an IE Migrant Victims Protocol that sought to institutionalise the practice of data-sharing between the police and IE while offering migrant victim-survivors limited protection. With other organisations in the violence against women and girls (VAWG) sector, we opposed the IE Migrant Victims Protocol.

Alongside the Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS), with support from the sector, SBS is continuing to call on the government to implement a firewall. The hostile environment, and its policies and practices, increase migrant victim-survivors’ vulnerability. Urgent reform that seeks to safeguard all victim-survivors as victim-survivors first and foremost, regardless of their immigration status, is the need of the hour. The establishment of a firewall that ends the practice of data-sharing between the police and other statutory agencies with IE can be a key step in this direction.

Join us in calling on the government to: Establish a firewall to prevent the police and other statutory agencies from sharing migrant victim-survivors’ data with Immigration Enforcement to provide them with a safe reporting pathway free of the fear of deportation.

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Southall Black Sisters (SBS) @sbsisters.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

F’s account is representative of the countless ways in which the hostile environment fails migrant victim-survivors on a daily basis, and highlights the urgent need for long-term and sustainable provisioning of specialist ‘by and for’ services. #16CaseStudiesFor16DaysOfActivism

“[Southall Black Sisters] gave me a lot of strength to take care of my children, they helped me change my life and my children's life completely for the better. Things are going really well in life.”

F contacted Southall Black Sisters’ (SBS) helpline to seek immigration advice as she was fleeing domestic abuse from her perpetrator. F experienced physical, sexual, economic, verbal, emotional abuse and coercive control in her home country at the hands of the primary perpetrator and his family. F came to the UK in the hope of rebuilding her relationship.

F believed that the relationship would improve. However, one day, she overheard a phone call on which the perpetrator was discussing his plans to separate F from her children and forcibly return her to her home country. F called 999, and was helped by the police and Children’s Services with accommodation and subsistence under s 17 of the Children Act 1989. F was then given incorrect immigration advice and claimed asylum in the UK. When F contacted the SBS helpline, she stated that both her children were British nationals.

SBS advocated for F by advising Children’s Services not to discontinue their support. SBS assisted F in applying for exceptional case funding (ECF) with the legal aid which gave her the financial support to regulate her immigration status as a parent of British children. F is currently awaiting a decision on her application from the Home Office. While she waits, F is rebuilding her life, living peacefully with her children away from domestic abuse.

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