Emiola collecting signatures at a Dallas Court Enforcement Unit demonstration

Emiola Fadeyi Must Stay !

Emiola is a twenty three year old Nigerian asylum-seeking woman who came to the UK in August 2005. Emiola is paralysed from the waist down as a result of childhood polio.

At the age of 14 and after years of inhuman and degrading treatment, Emiola was forced to leave the family home by her own mother. She lived rough on the streets of Lagos, begging to survive. Emiola contracted typhoid and malaria a number of times but survived despite having no medical care. Instead of being loved and cared for by a family and receiving an education like other children of her age, Emiola's youth was spent in a never ending nightmare of begging, rape, violence, abuse and disease.

According to the latest US State Department Human Rights report on Nigeria, children and women with disabilities face social stigma, exploitation, and discrimination, and are regarded as a source of shame by their own families. Significant numbers of indigent persons with disabilities beg on the streets.

The Immigration Judge refused Emiola's asylum application even though he found her account of what had happened as credible. It is difficult to understand the Judge's decision not to grant asylum to Emiola as he himself says in his determination that "if returned to Nigeria her prospects are awful" and that "it was very likely Emiola would resume living in much the same circumstances that she was living in before she left, the chances of her being raped again are significantly higher then they would be if she were to remain living in this country." The Judge also accepts that "the Nigerian Police Force suffers badly from corruption, is poorly paid and is not a police force that could be looked to for protection against rape or for redress after a rape".

Despite her own difficulties, Emiola has made many links within the community and has gained a large number of supporters. She volunteers with Women Asylum Seekers Together and supports other vulnerable women.

We defend Emiola's right to be protected under Article 3 of the Human Rights Act which gives every human being the right to be protected against torture, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment. Please support us to ensure that Emiola never needs to suffer such treatment ever again!

What you can do to help:
Emiola Must Stay Campaign is organising a letter writing and petition campaign to persuade the Minister for Immigration, Liam Byrne, to allow Emiola to stay in the UK.

Please print off the model letter which you can copy/amend write your own version (please quote Emiola's Home Office ref. no. F1074876), and send to:

Liam Byrne, Minister for Immigration
Home Office
3rd Floor
Peel Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

Please send copies of your letter to Emiola Must Stay Campaign.

Please print off the petition, complete with signatures and send by post to the Emiola Must Stay Campaign. The campaign will gather completed petition sheets and present them to the Immigration Minister.

Contact the Emiola Must Stay Campaign
C/o WAST, Women's Electronic Village Hall ADA House, 77 Thompson Street, Manchester, M4 5FY
Email: emiolafadeyicampaign@hotmail.co.uk