Experience: I smuggled myself out of the UK

"I escaped from my home, Soran, in the Erbil area of northern Iraq, in 2011 when I was 19 years old. My life was in danger powerful people had made threats to kill me. I had been told that the UK was a secure place for refugees. I decided to try to get there and hoped the government would grant me protection. I travelled by lorry across Europe and arrived in October of that year. I claimed asylum and felt lucky to be in a peaceful country."

"A few months after I arrived, my asylum claim was refused. I went through a long appeal process, and lived in Home Office accommodation in different parts of the UK for more than a decade. I was able to learn some skills, including how to be a barber, though my main responsibility was to report regularly to Home Office centres. This is always a terrifying experience, because you never know what might happen when you go through the door: you could be allowed to go back to your accommodation until at least the next visit, or be arrested and sent to a detention centre."

"Since I arrived in France, my home city has been attacked with drones in the war between Iran, Israel and America, making it even more dangerous to go back At first, the Home Office asked me to report every three months, but then I was told to report once a month, and then once a week. I love the UK and feel it is where I belong, as I've spent almost half my life there, but I never felt treated as an equal, nor was I shown any humanity."

"We are banned from doing many things we can't work or open a bank account. I was scared and sure it was only a matter of time before I would be detained and then deported back to Iraq. Experience: I cycled the length of the UK on a wooden bike I decided that the only way to avoid that was to smuggle myself out to ma"

A Kurdish refugee escaped danger in Soran, northern Iraq, in 2011 and traveled across Europe to reach the UK, believing it would provide protection. After claiming asylum, the claim was refused and a long appeal process followed. For more than a decade, the person lived in Home Office accommodation and learned skills, including barbering, while regularly reporting to Home Office centres. Reporting created constant fear of outcomes, including arrest and detention. Reporting frequency increased over time. With the home city becoming more dangerous due to drone attacks, the risk of return intensified. The person described bans on work and banking, and said they never felt treated as an equal or shown humanity.

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