A winter of destitution

AS GLORIA described how she was beaten and brutally gang raped by soldiers, the tears trickled down her cheeks.

The attack has left both mental and physical scars and she speaks about her ordeal with a detachment that comes from living through extreme trauma.

"I was taken from the place where I worked to be interrogated and that was when they raped me," she said.

Gloria escaped to Britain with the help of her boyfriend and has since struggled to win the right to live here.

Her application and appeal to stay here have so far been rejected - and all benefits withdrawn.

At one stage Gloria was living on the streets of Southampton and only now has a roof over her head for a limited number of weeks thanks to fund-raising from city churches.

An educated girl, she had completed her baccalaureate qualification and was due to go to university. She wanted to study medicine but that choice was taken away from her.

To make ends meet, she worked in a restaurant frequented by activists opposed to the government - and the authorities believed she was working with them.

She received telephone threats and armed guards turned up to arrest her.

And it was while she was being interrogated that Gloria was attacked by several soldiers.

"They raped me and I lost consciousness. When I was taken to the hospital I was frightened because there were military guards waiting for me there.

"I knew that unless I Ieft my country, they would continue to come for me," she said.

Gloria is one of about 100 asylum seekers in Southampton facing destitution this winter.

When asked what it was like when she was living on the streets, she replied simply: "It was terrible. I was very cold from sleeping outside.

"I was living from day-to-day - not knowing what would happen next," she said.

The city, which had a government contract to host up to 500 asylum seekers, welcomed people from terror hot spots around the world. But now that contract has come to an end and those remaining whose applications have been rejected, exist in a state of limbo.

Once their appeal has been turned down, applicants have all their benefits withdrawn and must wait to be deported.

In the meantime, people like Gloria and fellow asylum seeker Emy must wait to see what happens next.

Gloria has launched another application with fresh evidence as has Emy.

Both the women are too frightened to name the country of their birth and they are not using their real names for fear of being recognised.

Emy, 25, claims she has been persecuted because of her religious beliefs.

"I am a Christian and I had some problems in my church in my country. We spoke out about the abuse of children and I was beaten by soldiers.

"I feared for my life - and that is why I decided to come to Britain," she said.

Emy travelled alone and it was only when she came to Southampton that she learned her 35-year-old husband had been murdered by the militia.

Evidence of his death has been presented as part of her new application and she hopes to hear soon whether she can stay in Southampton.

"I feel like I have lost everything and I can't return to my country.

"I don't know if I have a future," she said.

To highlight the plight of the asylum seekers, WVG, a small Hampshire-based charity, is challenging MPs and local leaders to suggest what asylum seekers should do when all means of support are withdrawn. Should they beg for food, seek illegal work or resort to crime?

WVG chairman David Vinnell said: "We would genuinely welcome their opinion as leaders and concerned individuals but in the meantime we are campaigning to remove the injustice that forces people seeking asylum to make that kind of choice.

"These are real people who are suffering not just statistics - and it is when you meet these people that you realise the system is too harsh."

Many who seek refuge in the UK are fleeing conflict in their home countries but only a small percentage will be granted asylum. Under new rules, they are allowed only five hours of legal aid to prepare their case and have only one right of appeal. Those who are refused asylum lose entitlement to accommodation and financial support and are made destitute.

The government says they should return to the countries they left but this is often impossible, either because the home country is too dangerous or because it refuses to accept them. These men, women and children may be left for months without official status or income, not allowed to work and with limited access to health care and education.

"Not being able to work is one of the hardest things for an asylum seeker. They want to work so they can earn some money and send some home to their families," he said.

Gloria and Emy are among the few asylum seekers who are now receiving temporary shelter through WVG's "ASSIST" campaign.

Members of the group initially approached seven churches and faith groups in Southampton and Winchester, asking for financial support for the most vulnerable asylum seekers.

Team rector of Southampton City Parish, Rev Ian Johnson said: "We have asked every church in Southampton to donate £70 a week for 12 weeks and so far about four or five have signed up.

"A few of the smaller ones wouldn't be able to raise that money on their own but they have joined together to collect it.

"There is a tremendous concern out there for refugees and those who are now outside the support system. A lot of people now feel strongly that the government is creating populist legislation that is very unjust - and they want to do something to reverse that trend," he said.

Thanks to local people's generosity, they have already been able to provide a temporary room and subsistence for eight individuals. The success of the pilot scheme means they are now asking other organisations in Hampshire to take part.

David Vinnell said: "The scheme is not a solution just a temporary haven. After 12 weeks Gloria will again be trying to survive on the streets of Southampton.

"Until people are aware of the injustice and hardship caused, in their name, by government policy, Gloria and many others like her will remain vulnerable and destitute".