Sagal's Story: living in a limbo

Description

“I thought if I went to Europe my daughter would be safe and I would be able to continue with my studies and work. I was hoping to get a residency permit and to lead a happy life and get good medical care. But that’s not how it worked out. So far I have no legal documentation, nor do I have a home. My family has received no financial assistance. We have been told we have no right to be here.” Sagal is a young Somali woman who fled her homeland because her family demanded that her daughter should be circumcised. She refused. She says she is an educated woman and does not want her children to endure what she as a child experienced. She wanted to go to Europe to get a better and safe life for herself and her children. She arrived in Sweden in 2014. “I have been here for five years. I never got what I was hoping for. In fact, my troubles have become worse. Imagine what constant negative decisions do to a person! Because of this I spent too much time thinking. But I cannot go back to the place I ran away from.” She has been to lawyers and to non-governmental organizations to get support but it takes time. Sagal was totally unprepared for the reality she found in the new country. The smugglers told her that it would be easy. Today, she is living in a state of uncertainty, waiting for a decision on her case. However her case is complicate: Somalis do not obtain asylum automatically after they arrive to Europe. “Everyone tells me it is a difficult issue. They take copies of my documents and say it is complicated. They say they will check. But so far nobody has helped me.” The problems have affected her health as she is constantly worrying about the future. #Tellingtherealstory #TRS #SagalsStory Telling the Real Story is about the extraordinary journeys made by Eritrean, Somali and Nigerian refugees and migrants to Europe.

Metadata

Published to Youtube on: 30/07/2019

Archived on: 30/09/2025

Original URL (may no longer be available): https://youtube.com/watch?v=uRxCVneJ720