Destitute in Birmingham

A new report from the Children’s Society has revealed destitution amongst asylum seeking families in the West Midlands region.The charity said it was shocked at the conditions those fleeing torture and oppression were being forced to live in under what they branded as UK’s “chaotic” asylum system.Families had no means of survival because their parents were unable to access state support or take jobs because of their asylum status.More than 250 children are living in abject poverty with some mothers forced to prostitution on the streets of Birmingham in order to survive.

Andy Jolly, project worker at The Children’s Society, said: “We work with families in Birmingham who have absolutely nothing. We see mothers forced into prostitution simply in order to feed their families.There are families we support who have no food or adequate clothes, let alone toys for the children.Mothers who give birth after they are refused asylum are not entitled to family support. Bureaucracy has been found to be a contributing factor to making families destitute.Many of the families who we work with in Birmingham applied to the UK Border Agency for support, but have been left waiting for several months during which time they were completely destitute.”

The irony is they came to the UK hoping they would find safety and a better future and instead found themselves living in squalor or struggling to survive on the streets.