To ask you to please help these 2 little girls stay in the UK, they face FGM in Nigeria

[Topaz25]

This petition really moved me, please sign and share:
www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/uk-border-agency-please-review-the-fresh-evidence-submitted-for-afusat-saliu-s-asylum-case-properly

"Afusat Saliu, faces being returned to Nigeria. She has removal directions for 25th April. If she goes back, there is a real risk of forcible FGM on her daughters. She fled to the UK when her step-mother expressed a wish to have her daughter Bassy cut. Bassy will be four in May; two year old Rashidat was born in London - Afusat fled while she was heavily pregnant.

In Afusat's village, FGM is usually performed on babies, which is when Afusat herself was cut. If she is made to return and her family catch up with her, it is likely that she will be powerless to protect them from being mutilated. Afusat is also in danger as she escaped a forced marriage to a man 40 years her senior to whom her family is indebted."

[Jesuisunepapillon]

Some responses on here are horrendous. Humans are mind bogglingly horrible sometimes.

[Impatientismymiddlename]

And I don't mind about delay to other cases because presumably the people involved in those cases are safely over here too while their cases are being delayed and not being tortured or mutilated wherever they escaped from.

That isn't true, because like this family people can appeal even after they have been returned to their home country. Some of those cases do get overturned and the people come back. I am more than happy for those people assessed as most in need of asylum to be granted leave to stay here in Britain, but I don't think we can simplify the assessment process without opening the floodgates.

[MinesAPintOfTea]

I haven't signed because I don't think that asylum decisions should be affected by how photogenic/media savvy the asylum seekers are. I do however intend to add FOWARD to my monthly charity donations when I start my new job.

I suggest everyone who feels for the plight of these girls sends £1 to them instead. It will hopefully help more African girls avoid FGM and child marriage.

[MummyPigsFatTummy]

Thanks for that link Mines - I will do the same and agree it would be benefical for people to donate.

I don't see that making a donation and signing a petition need to be mutually exclusive, however, and I would also like these two children to be spared FGM if at all possible, as well as all the other millions who will hopefully be spared in the future if groups like FORWARD and others are successful.

[Impatientismymiddlename]

Minesapint: I will also be making a donation to forward and will be checking if any volunteers are needed for FGM charities in my area. I will not sign the petition though because I trust our home office to grant asylum to those who need it most.

[Roshbegosh]

I think we do need to support the charity to help those at risk of this utterly barbaric practice but it is insane to suggest that we should provide a safe haven for all the millions of families in the world with a child at risk of FGM. Really lionheart where would you house them all for a start?

[MinesAPintOfTea]

Its not my link: someone put it up a page or so back and I thought it was worth repeating rather than just putting my statement about why I'm not signing. I have also checked the charity commission website and it looks legit.

Signing and donating are of course not mutually exclusive, but its perfectly possible to feel sympathy for their plight and want to do something to help without thinking that the appropriate something is to try to make the decision-process be influenced by public opinion/the media rather than objectively fair according to the law. You are free to disagree and think that the information in the public domain suggests that the decision to remove from the UK is unjust.

[wannaBe]

it is insane to suggest that the decision to grant asylum to people should be based on public opinion. This isn't Disney where every poor person's wish can come true and we can help them all, currently we are cutting back services to our own citizens, the disabled, the elderly, the poor, we simply cannot accommodate everyone who has had or might have a hard time in their own country.

[nickelbabe]

I personally couldn't give a flying fuck if the floodgates were opened onnthe back of this.

I do NOT want a girl to be mutilated because I decided my place in a school was more important.

Not in MY name

[zippey]

I agree with nickelbabe. Its not about which country we were lucky or unlucky to have been born in.

We are all people of the world.

Let people be free to live and be where they want.

[TaraKnowles]

How on the earth is the need for housing, education, free on point of delivery health care more important than protecting children from abuse?

And the UK is not the only destination for asylum seekers.

[Roshbegosh]

Yes zippy that would work. Ha ha.

[Meglet]

Signed. And what nickelbabe said.

[JimmyCorkhill]

Signed.

[lionheart]

latest

Not good at all.

[zippey]

Shame on the UK Home Office.

I just think that nobody should be subjected to FGM - black or white, young or old, UK citizen or Worldwide citizen.

[nickelbabe]

how on earth is she going to get away from her family? :(

they'll find her - their family reputation is badly at risk, refusing marriage and refusing fgm when.it's widely believed to be important.
they believe in the family reputation.enough that I'm convinced they'll hunt her down.

[wannaBe]

so just how much extra tax are people prepared to pay to allow for the extra 130 million women who could potentially come and live here then?

It's not about a school place or a house, it is in fact far more fundamental than that. And we just don't have the resources to ccommodate everyone, and there has to be a system which is not based on emotional responses...

[ProcessYellowC]

whoop

[Topaz25]

That's great news ProcessYellowC Thank you to everyone who signed, let's keep sharing just in case!

[ProcessYellowC]

Yes Topaz, thanks for starting the thread. It's only a temporary reprieve as far as I can tell. Change.org have emailed asking for me to email Theresa May but I am not convinced that bombarding her inbox would help?

[Topaz25]

This case is not setting a new precedent, each case is assessed individually and the UN and EU already recognise the risk of FGM as grounds for asylum. The UK has also taken a strong anti FGM stance. So saving these 2 girls is consistent with current policy and does not change the rules or open the gate for an extra 130 million women. Hopefully in the future more can be done to protect girls from FGM in their own country but that will be too late for these two little girls.

[Topaz25]

Sorry that was a response to wannaBe

[Topaz25]

ProcessYellowC Yes it's a temporary reprieve while they review the case. I don't think emailing her will hurt, it will show the strength of public opinion. She probably has admin support to help deal with her emails so it won't hinder her ability to do her job. The priority is the petition though.