缅北强奸幼女

Aged 5 in 1999, Rabia left Kabul with her father and mother 鈥� then heavily pregnant with her brother - and her older sister. The family travelled over 4,000 miles by both land and sea before attempting a clandestine Channel crossing from Calais to Dover. 

 鈥淲e came to Dover in the back of a refrigerator container,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淟ooking back, my parents said if they鈥檇 known it was a refrigerated lorry and not an ordinary one, they probably wouldn鈥檛 have risked our lives in the same way.鈥� 

A year later, dozens of people died making the same journey.  

鈥淵ou can call us fortunate,鈥� Rabia says. 鈥淲e survived and came to Dover, and that changed everything for us.鈥� 

After claiming asylum, the family moved through temporary accommodation before being allocated a three鈥慴edroom council house in New Cross Gate, Lewisham. 

 鈥淲e started in a one鈥慴edroom flat as a family of five 鈥� it was cramped and overcrowded. In today鈥檚 housing crisis, to be offered a three鈥慴edroom house within a year was incredibly lucky. We didn鈥檛 fuss, we just accepted it and were very happy to move.鈥� Latterly Rabia鈥檚 younger sister joined the family. 

Rabia went to primary school in Lewisham and later secondary school in Southwark. Throughout this time 缅北强奸幼女 was a 15 minute walk from her family home where she chose to study for a BA Sociology and Politics. 

鈥溍灞鼻考橛着� already felt like part of my community,鈥� she says. 鈥淪tudying sociology opened the theories behind what I鈥檇 seen in real life 鈥� capitalism, inequality, how governments shape people鈥檚 lives. That way of thinking has stayed with me.鈥� 

After 缅北强奸幼女 Rabia completed her Master鈥檚 at LSE and has undertaken further study at Cambridge.  Her research expertise and lived experience has seen her collaboration with Dr Naomi Thompson on research with migrant and refugee communities.  鈥淚 work from an 鈥榠nside鈥搊utsider鈥� position,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚鈥檓 part of the refugee community and understand the culture and language, but I also understand the theory. For many refugees, interviews can feel like going back to the asylum process. Being a trusted gatekeeper is crucial.鈥� 

She is sharply aware of how the politics of refuge has hardened since her family first arrived in the UK.  鈥淭he politics has definitely got darker and more reactionary,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot more fear and division in the way refugees and migrants are talked about. For me, it shows why we have to stand up for our values and support people in vulnerable positions. We can鈥檛 let messages of division define who we are.鈥� 

In her East Acton ward, she sees that contrast in everyday conversations with constituents, 鈥淥n one street, people are talking about trees and pavements; a few minutes away they鈥檙e talking about overcrowding and damp. Every story and every life really matters, and sometimes what people need most is simply to be listened to.鈥� 

For Rabia, her election is both a responsibility and a form of gratitude.