To wonder how Theresa May can sleep at night - young girl being deported on Mother's Day

[NadiaWadia]

www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/the-rt-hon-theresa-may-mp-home-secretary-fightforyashika-stop-this-sixth-form-student-being-deported-alone-she-deserves-a-future

Yashika Bageerathi, an A-level student of 18 or 19, fled Mauritius with her family due to life threatening domestic violence, seeking asylum in the UK. She is very well thought of by both staff and students at the school and was just about to finish her A-levels. She has been taken alone to a detention centre and will be sent back to Mauritius, alone, tomorrow. Apparently she has nobody in Mauritius. Theresa May apparently feels it would be 'inappropriate' for her to 'interfere' in this.

British Airways refused to take part in this, good for them. So now the government are sending her back via Air Mauritius. Change.org are now asking people to email the Chief Executive of Air Mauritius, Andre Viljoen at [email protected] asking him urgently to do the same. Worth a try don't you think?

Personally I find the actions of the government sickening and inhumane. This poor girl (and her family). Sounds like she would have been an asset to the UK.

[lifehasafunnywayofhelpinguout]

I have just signed the petition. I hope I am not too late. That poor girl. Not just Theresa May but I wonder how most policticians sleep at night to be honest. xxx

[SoonToBeSix]

Yanbu , poor girl I don't understand why they are doing this?

[mrsbug]

Signed

[hotcrosshunny]

Politicians don't think of people as human beings unless they're thrust into their faces and they are forced to.

Otherwise we're just the great unwashed public.

[Nomama]

Really?

DV is not a reason for asylum.

A good sob story is not a reason to overturn any legal ruling.

Mauritius is not a 3rd world country, at war or in any other way a dangerous place for this girl or her family. She can finish her education there, it is a relatively affluent, middle class country with free education. It's political and social mores are based on the UK!

Too much heart rending woe is me isms for my liking.

Oh, Change aren't asking for anything. It is a hosting site for petitions. I suspect the girl, her family and friends set up the petition. The Americans who own Change have probably never heard of her!

[HermioneWeasley]

I'm confused - since when did you have to leave your country to get away from DV? We have women in the UK suffering from DV and dying from it right here.

[Fusedog]

poster Nomama


Agreed

[thecrimsonpetal]

Even if DV isn't a reason for asylum, seems stupid to me to deport her immediately when she is so close to finishing her a levels. At the very least I think she should be allowed to complete them. It would be so unfair on her if she couldn't. And the cost of her education here will have been for nothing if she can't finish her exams.

[GandalfsBeard]

I'm completely with Nomama on this one.

[MorrisZapp]

I don't understand. Why is she being deported for being 18 but not her mum?

I don't know why they came to the UK.

Not enough info given.

[NadiaWadia]

Thank you for signing the petition. But could I also ask you to do the email to Air Mauritius's Chief Exec, though? As it is obviously getting very urgent now. The organisation change.org suggested using the points below in the email:


^Email to Air Mauritius Chief Executive

•Air Mauritius are set to take part in the deportation of a young girl called Yashika Bageerathi tomorrow at 5pm. Yashika is fleeing domestic violence and being taken away from her only family and friends back to a place she does not feel safe.
•More than 142,000 people are calling on Yashika to be allowed to remain in the UK and finish her education.
•Air Mauritius can do the right thing and refuse to fly Yashika just as British Airways did on Tuesday.^

His email is [email protected]

So I just copied and pasted. I also added a few bits of my own, but you don't have to. And gave my name and address. I hope that was correct.

SoontobeSix because her case for asylum has been turned down in court, more details here:

news.sky.com/story/1232989/may-wont-interfere-over-students-deportation

But when you think how there have been known terrorists living here for years that the government was apparently unable to deport, and consider that Yashika is just an innocent teenager, there has to be something wrong with the system.

[Erroroccurred]

I think a teacher started the petition. I am surprised to find people here are not united in condemning the forced return of a yp who has no family and friends in Mauritius. Here is her home, I feel so sorry for this girl:( I can't imagine how she must feel.

[MorrisZapp]

Why doesn't her mum go with her?

[HowContraryMary]

If you seek asylum, refuge it is supposed to be given in the first country you reach. She'd have had to have swum half way round the world to get here, avoiding any other land mass. Mauritius has a French bias.

I'd have to read a more factual, less passionate, less biased account. On the face of it, she would be an asset to the UK. But you can't have laws flouted. Kake an exception for one and you open the gateway

[Poppy67]

The rest of her family are to be deported too I think.

Dv is not a reason for asylum.

[Nomama]

Her mum is being deported. Her siblings will be too. But somehow they have had their cases separated, probably to add to sadness of their situation. Legal Aid maybe? Or possibly just because she is now an adult.

A family member is the person who has threatened them. The media has apparently whipped up some negative feeling, so he isn't going to feel any more pleasant towards them But that is no reason to claim asylum.


Morris - there is a lot out there about her. A quick Google will get you both sides of the media hype.

[HowContraryMary]

She came here in 2012, at best shes been here 18 months, the UK isn't her 'home' Mauritius is.

Presumably the brother is younger; mother will be able to hang on until he is 18

[Nomama]

Here is not her home, she's been here for 3 years, she is 19 years old.

Others have pointed out more obvious and legal reasons for her to be deported.

[GandalfsBeard]

But this isn't her home though is it? Her home is in Mauritius. She and her family are here illegally. Sorry, but just like every other person that is in the UK illegally, they should be deported.

[LucilleBluth]

Wait a second, I read about this case in the Guardian this week. Mauritius is not a violent dictatorship, can all victims of domestic violence in the UK rock up to Australia or the UK and seek asylum.

I'm not saying she isn't a lovely girl who wouldn't go on to great things but I really don't think we should be letting this type of 'asylum seeker' stay.

[LucilleBluth]

US

[Slainte]

OP I'm not sure if "the organisation change.org" will have asked people to email, I think it will be whichever interested party uploaded the information to change.org. Though I'm happy to be corrected if this isn't the case.

[Chippednailvarnish]

I would rather we gave our resources allocated to asylum seekers to people fleeing certain death from war or political persecution.

[BellaOfTheBalls]

She's 19, and therefore in the eyes of the law a single adult. It is easier to deport a single person than an entire family.

[Edenviolet]

Thinking back to when I was 18/19 I was still quite immature and doubt I'd have coped being sent somewhere alone and having to then live there without my mother/family.
Here/there/her country/our country/good reason to seek asylum/bad reason to seek asylum etc etc etc i do just feel really sorry for the poor girl being firstly in a detention centre then deported.