Thursday, September 11, 2008

Help Ugandan Lesbian Gain Asylum

"Prossy Kakooza is a 26-year-old woman seeking asylum in the UK. She fled Uganda after suffering vicious sexual, physical and verbal attacks due to her sexual orientation.

Prossy had been forced into an engagement when her family discovered her relationship with the girlfriend she met at university. Both women were marched two miles naked to the police station, where they were locked up.

Prossy’s inmates subjected her to gross acts of humiliation. She was violently raped by police officers who taunted her with derogatory comments like ‘’we’ll show you what you’re missing’’ and ‘’you’re only this way because you haven’t met a real man’’. She was also scalded on her thighs with hot meat skewers.

Prossy was eventually taken out of prison after her father bribed the guards. Her family had decided they would sacrifice her instead, believing this would ‘’take the curse away from the family’’.

Whilst her family were making arrangements to slaughter her, Prossy managed to flee to the United Kingdom to seek asylum.

When Prossy went for treatment to her local GP’s surgery in the UK they were so shocked by the extent of her injuries they called the police.

She was taken to the St. Mary’s Centre in Manchester, and she is still receiving counselling there for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Prossy’s asylum application has been refused by the Home Office, who acknowledge she was brutally raped and burnt because of the medical evidence, but have dismissed these appalling attacks as ‘’the random actions of individuals’’, and state she can be returned to a different town in Uganda.

This judgement ignores the clear danger to gay people throughout the country where the penalty for homosexuality is life imprisonment.

Also, in Uganda, you cannot settle in a new town without a reference from your previous village, and on the basis she is a lesbian, Prossy would be subjected to similar persecution wherever she went.

We consider that if Prossy is sent back, she faces the continuing threat of incarceration, and further sickening attacks - which next time may be fatal.

Prossy is a highly educated woman who can be a productive member of society.

She has a right to be free with her sexuality, which is causing no harm to anyone, and she has a right not to be raped, attacked, or murdered.

Please see below to discover how you can help Prossy to live a valued and productive life in safety and security." (MCC Manchester)

Prossy's Video Story:


How you can help

1. Download the petition, print it off, get it signed by yourself, your family, friends, work colleagues, drinking buddies and anyone else you know! Please return the petition to us so we can send it off to the Home Office - our address is at the bottom of the petition.

2. Sign the online petition and promote this to your friends and contacts via your emails, blog or personal website.

3. Write to Liam Byrne, the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration within the Home Office Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk (Please ensure you put FAO Liam Byrne, Minister in the subject line)

Or fax your letter to him on 0870 336 9034,

or write to him at:

Mr Liam Byrne MP
Minister of State for Borders and Immigration
Home Office
3rd Floor, Peel Buildings
2 Marsham St
London SW1 4DF

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Absolutely unbelievable. If she can't receive asylum, who can?

How can England not have room for this one woman when there is room for her in my home?

Prossy, you have aready been braver than most of us will ever have to be. And you have dignity and truth. I hope that you will have a good life in England and that you will be able to return to Africa one day and truly call it home.

Calvin

Laurie said...

I'm in tears!!!!!!!!! With all that the
police saw on her and they still won't
grant asylum?! That's not human!

Shaijinx said...

Her story made me cry as well. I had to read it twice because it seems so unfathomable. I'm at a loss for words..but when I find them, I will put them in an email to Mr. Byrne. Thank you for posting Prossy's story. I plan to forward it to everyone I know.

Queers United said...

It is so tragic yet she remains so calm and sweet in the video, she is a very brave and beautiful woman.

Lea said...

This is not the first time a Western nation has refused queer asylum seekers and it won't be the last. Anyone who can read the multitude of stories such as this one and still not understand the concept of queer nationalism must be suffering from the worst form of Western myopia.

You guys might think that just because your lives are pretty okay that means everything is fine, and social justice is just an eyeblink away. Out here, people are afraid for their lives.

Queers United said...

Just received this email response:
"Dear Sir



Thank you for your e-mail about the immigration matters of John Bosco & Prossy Kakooza



You will appreciate the information contained in applications made to the UK Border Agency is treated as strictly confidential and cannot be disclosed to other persons. This reflects the Agency's legal obligations under Common Law, Human Rights and Data Protection legislation, and the treatment of private personal information under the code of practice on Access to information. It is therefore regrettable that we are unable to comment on the particular details of this case.



I hope you will understand that this is not secrecy for its own sake, but simply a matter of protecting the privacy of the individual.





Yours Sincerely







Public Correspondence Team "

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