In recent months and weeks much has been written about the Bibby Stockholm, the ship on which the British Home Office is trying to accommodate more than 500 asylum seekers, including us. But we have already been to Bibby Stockholm. Let us share with you what this experience was like and what our opinion is on the asylum system.
That’s the message we want to convey to people: We’re tired of being treated like this. We cannot tolerate these conditions. We are all victims of the game that politicians play.
The 39 people who were on the boat came from different countries. We had escaped torture, persecution and imprisonment. We had to leave our home, our work and our family and believed we would find safety in the UK.
We were worried when they said they would move us to Bibby Stockholm. Among other things, because they had warned us of the danger. But we are people who obey the law and respect the decisions of the authorities. Although none of us were criminals, the strict security regulations on board the barge placed limits on us that made us feel far removed from a normal life.
We were very scared when some of us got sick. One person even attempted suicide. We had no information and felt like we were the last ones to know what was going on.
When an outbreak of legionella was discovered, we were taken off the ship and now live in an old, abandoned hotel. We are still under a lot of pressure and don’t know what will happen to us. We feel very bad.
There are many asylum seekers here in the UK. Sending 500 of these applicants on a boat is not the most logical measure, but it serves a useful purpose: the government is pitting us against public opinion and sending the message that taxpayers’ money is being wasted on asylum seekers. They blame us for everything.
Why is that?
We want to clarify things so that the public has information about what this life is like and what the real issues are. We are in a remote hotel, with mediocre food and no basic rights. We have no permission to work or the ability to make our own decisions. We have to wait a long time for our cases to be decided, sometimes up to three or four years. Why is the process like this?
This is all a political spectacle. They say they want to reduce the costs of the asylum system, but this ship and the way we were treated must have cost a fortune. At this moment, when we are 39 asylum seekers in this accommodation, 20 employees are looking after 39 people. Before we were moved to Bibby Stockholm, we lived in a hotel where only about 10 staff were responsible for caring for 300 asylum seekers. How can they say they are doing this to reduce costs?
Citizens must demand a clear plan from the UK government for the treatment of asylum seekers; and the Government should publish this plan with details of its cost.
This experience takes its toll. We all have mental health problems and constantly feel overwhelmed. Some of us are married and we all worry about our families and how far away we are from them. Some of us have serious health problems and many of us take medication.
We believe the situation is getting worse. The Interior Ministry has stated that they will no longer provide us with assistance if we do not return to Bibby Stockholm. If we don’t return to the ship, they say, we will remain on the road of our own free will. So we have no choice. According to security personnel, we could be returned to the ship within seven or ten days.
It’s like being bait in a trap. We feel like we are being persecuted by the Home Office when all we want is a system that treats us fairly. A short interview, a stable future and a hearing. Please be our voice.
