Melic’s journey
We are all familiar with the current headlines surrounding asylum seekers. Too often, the stories we hear are sensationalised or distorted by the media and/or those with a political agenda. What we really need to make space for are the voices and lived experiences of real people.
This Refugee Week, we had the privilege of sitting down with Melic, an incredible 34-year-old woman who's been supported by Ella’s since this March as a survivor of sexual exploitation. Listening to Melic’s remarkable story and journey to the UK, it's an important reminder to take the time to sit down and listen; to learn, to ask questions, and not let fear win.
A long journey to Ella’s
Melic was brought up in Iran. When we asked her about her home her face lit up, she has a lot of love for her home. She spent her days helping out at her family’s restaurant, before everything changed. Forced to leave, she fled for her life after facing persecution which is still too painful to speak about. She left without packing a bag, taking nothing but her phone and without the chance to say goodbye. Her uncle paid people smugglers an extortionate amount of money to help her leave the country. Once she had left, she had no contact with her family for two months, they didn’t know if they’d ever hear from her again.
Her journey to safety was harrowing. She travelled by car, bus, boat and on foot, crossing thousands of miles. She came over to Europe on a cramped boat in the middle of summer, and had no idea where she was. For 5 days, she was left under-deck with 90 other asylum seekers, with no fresh air or natural light. She also told us how they would give each other moments of respite by allowing a person to sit for some minutes.
“We were on the boat for 5 days. You cannot sit. You cannot eat. All people have to stand up. There were families and children on the boat. I remember one woman was 8 months pregnant.”
When she arrived in Europe, she made her way to a refugee camp in northern France, where she stayed for another 2 months.
It was very hard because we didn’t have any food. You can go to the market but it's a 1 hour walk, and you have to buy something but you don’t have anything for cooking so you have to make a fire…I slept in the tent. It's dirty and itchy. I remember in 2 months, only once or twice did I take a shower..
Finding peace
When she finally arrived in the UK, she spent six months in National Asylum Support Service (NASS) accommodation. However, after being granted leave to remain, she was given just 20 days to leave and find new accommodation. Despite searching every day, she couldn't find anywhere to live and was at risk of becoming street homeless. That’s when she was referred to Ella’s. She is now living in one of our safe houses, where she finally has the security and support she needs to recover and begin rebuilding her life.
Big dreams
Melic can never go back to her home country and her family knows it’s never safe for her to return, but she is now hopeful for her new life in the UK. Determined to give back, she dreams of starting her own beauty business. With the support of her caseworker at Ella’s, she has been enrolled on a college course starting in August and is currently taking ESOL classes to improve her English, although after just 10 months in the country, she already speaks so well.
“Thank you to Ella’s, I have found peace.”
In the future, Melic’s wish is to go back to the refugee camps in France to improve sanitation and living conditions for families, unable to forget the suffering and injustice she witnessed. Despite everything, she is optimistic about the future and determined to continue fighting and keep hope.
When we asked Melic what she would want people to know about the experience of being a refugee, she shared:
“People think refugees come here for just money and a free life, but it's not true. Please ask about people’s stories. As a refugee, you change your country, you change your language, you change your culture. This is not easy. You have to learn people's stories. Ask people why they came here. For me, I came for peace, and I came for safety.”
Photos: Staff
