CAMPAIGN AGAINST LEGAL AID CUTS
“Our campaign against legal aid cuts highlights the impact on women, particularly mothers and rape survivors, of not being able to find a legal aid lawyer.
A survey of our members found that 51% were unable to find a legal aid lawyer. This correlates with national figures which show that 42% of all asylum seekers are unrepresented by a lawyer.
Without a legal aid lawyer destitute women asylum seekers are left at the mercy of private lawyers. Women are faced with trying to borrow the money to pay these lawyers who charge thousands of pounds and are frequently neglectful, careless, unaccountable and even corrupt.
Without a legal aid lawyer women rape survivors can’t get the expert psychiatric and country reports that corroborate our experiences of persecution and torture. And without this corroboration women stand little chance of winning asylum and safety against a deliberately hostile immigration environment.”
Ola from All African Women’s Group has been looking for a legal aid lawyer for over six months. She writes about her experience here: https://www.biduk.org/articles/we-ran-for-our-lives-now-the-home-office-has-the-power-of-life-or-death-over-us
“Legal aid fees have been cut to the bone making it impossible for most lawyers to continue this work, while home office lawyers get three times as much per hour to enforce deportations.” https://www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/article/people-are-responding-to-the-governments-illegal-policies
All African Women's Group 