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Why are they doing this to us? Dumisani asks

Britain’s sad immigration policies mean a HIV positive couple may be sent back to Malawi with their young son to die

An epileptic and HIV positive woman facing deportation has alleged that she was manhandled by immigration authorities last week as they tried to remove her from the country.

Caroline Manchinjili, 26, was to be removed to Malawi with her husband Brian Lungu and their son Dumisani.

Brian said that Caroline’s head was slammed against a wall by removal authorities after they accused her of spitting on them.

He explained: “When we were going, Caroline was refusing to go. They said she had spit on one of them and they banged her head on the wall outside.”

Brian and Caroline are HIV positive and campaigners believe that Dumisani has a 30-40% of also having the virus.

The family arrived in the UK in 2005 and made their home in Stockport, Cheshire. However their application for asylum in the UK was turned down and they were sent to Yarl’s Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire.

They were taken to the airport last Tuesday (April 3) but were unable to fly as the Home Office was unable to provide an appropriate escort.

When we came back [to Yarl’s Wood] she started having nose bleeds. Since then she’s been crying all the time and has had to use a wheelchair.”

Caroline said that the experience in detention was ‘horrific’.

She said: “It was very bad. It was hell. I thought I was dying because of the experience that I had.”

The tearful mother also said that the experience has traumatised her son.

“It was very hard for him,” she said.

“He wasn’t eating while we were in there. He kept asking us all the time- ‘why are they doing this to us?”

A Home Office spokesperson said they do not comment on individual cases.

The family has been supported by children’s charity Barnardo’s who have warned that forcing Dumisani to return to Malawi would be tantamount to making him watch his parents die.

Doctors in the UK have warned that Caroline is not fit to fly and without her medication for epilepsy she is likely to die very soon after arriving in Malawi – possibly within one week.

Dumisani’s grandmother, his nearest relative in Malawi, died recently of AIDS.

Supporters for the family have called for the government to allow the family to remain in the UK.

An application reviewing the decision to deport them has been lodged at the High Court.

They are expected to remain here until that is decided.

Martin Narey, chief executive of Barnardo’s said:  “We are relieved that Caroline and her family will not face deportation, but the future for this traumatised and vulnerable family is still completely uncertain.  We will continue to press for them to remain in the UK.”

An application for a judicial review of the decision to deport the family has been lodged and they have also obtained a restraining order preventing their removal until that is heard.

‘There are, we think, about 20 children like Dumisani, who are affected by HIV, who are facing immediate deportation and could, if they remained in Britain, enjoy a full life into adulthood,” explained Narey.

“However, we, the fourth richest nation on earth, are going to send this seven year old to Malawi to face an unthinkable future of seeing his mum and dad die and then die alone. This is surely wrong. ‘Dumisani’s gran, the last hope to care for him in Malawi died from Aids last year. What has happened to this country’s moral compass when we can countenance condemning an innocent seven-year-old to a certain and horrific death?’

Published: 10 April 2007
Issue: 1264

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