Asylum for Helen Dawit

Helen Dawit is a second year student at City & Islington College in London, studying travel and tourism.

She had to flee her home in Eritrea after her father, who had been involved with the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF), disappeared. Helen had personal acquaintance with people who were killed for opposing the government. Helen and her mother were subjected to violent harassment by Eritrean security forces and fled the country after a particular violent attack.

In Ethiopia Helen got separated from her mother and she hasn't heard of her since.

A friend of the family helped Helen to travel to the UK, where she arrived in December 1997 and claimed asylum.

The Home Office turned down her application claiming it would be safe for her to return to Eritrea.

This stands in sharp contrast with reports from Amnesty International about the fate of Asylum seeking Eritreans who had been deported from Malta in October 2002, and immediately arrested by the Eritrean Authorities.

The detainees have since 'disappeared'. There is also the possibility that Helen might be forcibly recruited into the army. The present political situation also increases the dangerous situation in Eritrea and highlights Helen's vulnerability if she returns.

When Helen now 21 came to this country she was 15 years old and completely on her own. She has succeeded with her studies and built a life despite her trauma from the past.

She doesn't know anything about the fate of her parents and apart from the dangers of being detained and tortured if deported to Eritrea, she also has nobody and nothing to return to.

Please support her appeal to be able to stay in the UK and continue her studies.

What you can do:

Download the campaign petition get as many signatures as you can.

Inquiries/further information
Asylum for Helen Dawit
c/o Linda Lyons
City & Islington College
444 Camden Road
London, N7 0SP

Source for this page: Asylum for Helen Dawit

The contents of this page are the sole responsibility of the author/s.

==============
Disclaimer:

NCADC's web site is an important part of our work in educating the public on immigration, asylum and anti-deportation issues. As part of that work our web site hosts news and views from different individuals, organisations and campaigns working in the same field as us. The contents of named/signed articles are the sole responsibility of the author/s and should not be taken as endorsement of any kind.

NCADC takes no responsibility for the content of external websites linked from ncadc.org.uk and links should not be taken as endorsement of any kind.

NCADC reserves the right to omit or edit the whole or any part of material submitted for publication.