After being granted asylum in the UK, Anaya took it upon herself to bring her orphaned siblings to safety, escaping forced labor and domestic abuse in their home of Oromia, Ethiopia. Read more
L is a young Afghan woman, forced to flee the country as a result of following her heart instead of her family’s will. Like many trailblazing women in Afghanistan, she faces stigma and violence for taking her own path. Read more
At the heart of our work lies a firm belief in fair process. Asylum claims should not be lost due to factual misunderstandings, absence of information, or generalised stereotypes. Arbitrary factors, such an applicant's financial ability to pay for an expert witness, should not have a bearing on their ability to escape persecution and seek refuge. Finding specific, reliable documentation is expensive and time-consuming. Asylum seekers, lawyers, and adjudicators all have an interest in making sure asylum determinations are based on solid evidence, especially when the case is a question of life or death, security or persecution, freedom or enslavement.
The asylum seekers whose claims we research are those who struggle most to be believed. These stories show how information and facts can counter misinformation and give asylum applicants a voice. Over the years, Asylos has produced over 400 reports that have been downloaded 2700 times. As of mid-2019, over 75% of these report users have indicated that their clients' case outcome was positive. The below is just a selection of stories about such individuals fleeing from persecution whose case was touched by an Asylos report.
If reading these stories inspires you to support our work, please consider donating:
Please select a donation amount (required) £150 assists four asylum seekers with research to support their asylum claims £50 trains and onboards one new volunteer researcher £5 funds outreach to direct one vulnerable person to our services Other Set up a regular payment Donate
When Aynoor's French residence permit expired and it was time for her to return to Pakistan, Aynoor secretly applied for asylum in France as she feared religious persecution due to her atheist beliefs. Read more
Qudrah fled Karachi to make sure her children with disabilities had adequate healthcare and social support, but how could she convince the Belgian authorities that the healthcare system in Pakistan simply wasn't sufficient? Read more
A young gay man from Serbia who moved to the UK to escape the horrors of violent homophobic attacks struggles to be believed as authorities question his sexuality. Read more
The journey of a young Togolese child who overcame a series of administrative challenges and received safety and asylum in Belgium. Read more
Restoring dignity and ensuring legal status for a Syrian-born Palestinian refugee as she claimed asylum in Belgium. Read more
Asylos' research helped this HIV-positive transgender asylum seeker from Thailand find refuge and medical care in the UK. Read more
Asylos' research helped a mixed Hutu-Tutsi refugee uncover abuse and discrimination in Rwandan peace camps to claim her right to asylum in France. Read more