Early in June Sandra Pertek spoke to Pip McKnight of Refugee Women Connect and Hana Leshaj, asylum seeker based in Liverpool and member of Refugee Women Connect Advocacy Group, about the deteriorating reality post COVID-19 for migrants and asylum seekers in the UK, at the time of easing lockdown restrictions.
The unprecedented COVID-19 crisis exacerbated the suffering and destitution of one of the most vulnerable groups of forced migrants – the survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Forced migrant survivors with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) were excluded from healthcare, emergency accommodation and practical support. Lost jobs and income opportunities increased vulnerability to food and hygiene insecurity, as well as to discrimination and exploitation. In the pandemic restrictions, welfare organisations and projects supporting forced migrants adapted their services to new circumstances by rapidly transitioning to remote, phone and online service delivery.
To find out more:
The Age of Superdiversity 
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