Meet Faisal, refugee and aspiring journalist
When he lived in Afghanistan, Faisal dreamed of becoming a journalist, but boys his age were being forcibly recruited by the Taliban and similar outfits. Although he held out, keeping his head down and hanging onto his ambition as long as he could, he knew thart if he didn’t leave, he would eventually be forced to join “them”. And so he packed his dreams and a few possessions, and set off to make the long journey to Europe, where he believed he would be able to lead the life he wished for. I met him in Calais when …
Anur’s story
I’ve been in the UK since July now, and while I am glad I am safe here I can’t help but wonder why we spent 20 years fighting the Taliban. Was it worth it now everything’s gone? It’s a really hard thing to stomach when you look at everything we sacrificed and lost so that we could have a future for our children, and then saw that future ripped from us. I worked with the British Special Forces. I was with the Afghani Special Forces Commando, and being out there on the front line I saw what was coming, …
Raafi’s story
I worked in Helmand Province for Britain’s Ministry of Defence as an interpreter for five years. I spent my time with the British soldiers, on patrol and on the post. I carried the massive packs through the sweltering lands, I was shot at and hunted. I lived with the same risk as the soldiers – the only difference was I didn’t carry a weapon. But I never felt as scared as I did in the last days of Kabul. I have a lovely wife and two small children, and when I was no longer needed by the …
The trauma of Afghan children
Some of the little Afghan girls and boys I see at our distributions seem so sad it’s unbearable. They’re so quiet and withdrawn, and while some just want to be with their mums, others seem quite detached from everything. At our last distribution, a little boy of about six came along with his mum, but then just found a child’s chair, sat down facing the wall, and stayed like that. He didn’t want to move, or talk, or interact with the other children at all. We tried very gently to encourage him to join in the playing, but he …
A tale of heartbeak from Kabul
When the British soldiers came to Afghanistan it was such a time of hope for us. We thought we would be free of the Taliban and that our country would have freedom once again. They needed people who spoke English so I signed up as an interpreter for the army and also the special forces. It was a good job, I could look after my family on this. Before, if you did not join the Taliban you could not work. I worked as an interpreter for four years and I made some really good friends with the British soldiers, …
Today we’ve been shocked to read about “Operation Warm Welcome”. If you don’t know already, this is our Government’s plan to ensure that Afghan refugees “get the vital health, education, support into employment and accommodation they need to fully integrate into society.” This seems unbelievably crass and hypocritical, given the Government’s aggressive hostility to refugees and asylum seekers over the last few years. Remember the hostile environment? The denunciation of people in Napier Barracks? The harshness of Home Office Facebook ads telling refugees and asylum seekers to go home? Not to mention the attempt to criminalise ordinary refugees made …