‘The asylum process makes you feel insecure each day’

As part of a short series to mark the launch of Bristol Refugee Festival, Bristol24/7 reveals the true stories of some of the city’s refugees and asylum seekers.

Barely out of her teens, pregnant by a man her father could know nothing about and fearing for her life, Drita* left her home, family and everything she had ever known to flee to safety.

More than three and a half years later, she still lives with constant uncertainty over what the future holds for her and her daughter as she waits to find out if she will be granted refugee status in the UK.

Despite everything, Drita, 24, has forged out a life for herself and volunteers as an interpreter in Bristol, a city she now feels is her home.

She has bravely shared her story to give an insight into what people going through the asylum process have to face.

“I came here after fleeing from my very strict Muslim family,” says Drita.

“In our culture, if you are a girl, your family has to pick a husband for you. My family wanted me to marry a Muslim man, but I fell in love with someone else. Then I got pregnant and knew my family would never accept it.

“One of my cousins was killed by her dad because she got pregnant when she was 15. He did not go to jail for it, my dad was a police officer so he ensured he did not go to jail.

“The same thing would have happened to me. My mum found out about the pregnancy and my relationship and she would never accept it.”

Drita fled her family home in the middle of the night, without so much as being able to say goodbye to her mother.

She travelled to France with her partner at the time, who was from Italy, and he put her on a lorry bound for the UK, promising to meet her there.

Alas, when Drita arrived in Britain, she found herself entirely alone, unable to speak a word of English and with not a penny to her name in a foreign country.

“I did not speak English so I could not communicate with anyone,” says Drita. “I think I was depressed, but did not want to accept it because it’s not something that’s accepted in my country. I was pregnant as well – it’s hard to explain how it was at the beginning.

“I was put in a safe house in Bristol where I had a limited time to stay while I made an asylum claim. I came to the Malcolm X Centre where I met with people from Bristol Refugee Rights and that’s when I started learning English.”

Bristol Refugee Rights – Refugees welcome banner

Bristol Refugee Rights is a charity in St Paul’s that has been working with asylum seekers and refugees for 10 years.

It has a drop-in centre where people, like Drita, can have a place to go for support and a sense of community. English classes are available to help people to integrate, as well as advice sessions, a friendly team of volunteers and a creche called the Early Years Project.

Now a fluent English speaker, Drita uses her own experience to help other people arriving in the city who are often scared, vulnerable and alone as she was.

“The asylum process makes you feel very insecure each day,” says Drita. “You hear so many stories – I was refused twice, so every day I live with that feeling that they will come and get me and send me back.

“It’s scary, you cannot have a proper life. It makes it even worse because I do not worry about myself anymore – I worry about my daughter.

“I do not want her to have a life like mine. When you are in that family environment, you have to accept whatever happens.

“Bristol is the only city I have lived and I feel like I will never want to leave. It’s somewhere I want my daughter to grow up. I have really great friends around and they have been a great support for me.”

Tom Daly from Bristol Refugee Rights says there is currently a system in the UK whereby asylum seekers who reach the country under their own steam can get held up in red tape and uncertainty for years on end.

He says frequent mistakes are made by the Home Office that only serve to hold up the process further.

Daly argues that the system is harsh and unfair and leaves many people in limbo for years waiting for a decision when they could be working, paying taxes and building new lives here.

He added: “Drita goes out into the community to talk about her experiences at community events and is a very committed volunteer interpreter.

“It’s humbling that having been through such adversity, she is still able to commit herself towards supporting others.”

Drita will talk about the realities of the asylum system during the month-long Bristol Refugee Festival which launches on Monday.

Dance celebrations at last year’s Bristol Refugee Festival

*Drita’s name has been changed and she is not pictured in any photos to protect her identity while she is going through the asylum process. 

Read more: Bristol first provincial city to host major refugee show