* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Namani Loziowa is a survivor of modern slavery and member of the Survivor Alliance
COVID-19 and the UK-wide lockdown order by the government is obviously a new situation facing all of us. For me, the lockdown is unfortunately not a new experience. At the basic level the lockdown means staying at home and not going to work or losing a job, not seeing family and friends, being limited in what I can do, balancing childcare and other responsibilities.
Aside from social distancing, these are restrictions that a survivor of modern slavery in the UK faces every day. The lockdown experience is not new to me - but it is worse under coronavirus. As an asylum seeker I am already in lockdown. Without regularized immigration status, I was living under similar restrictions for months and months before the lockdown. Here are some examples:
Financial constraints and precarity: I receive an allocation from the government of about £37 a week. Living on about £5 a day does not allow me to leave my accommodation to do much because I cannot afford travel expenses, food, clothing, mobile service, internet, and so on. I fear I may lose my housing due to demand on the asylum system, or as a result of impending immigration decisions. Furthermore, my safehouse – which is shared accommodation – has many restrictions and rules.
Travel restrictions: Without immigration status, I have no documents to travel. As a result, my life is already limited to a small area. I do not have enough money to use other means of transportation - to own a car, take a taxi or even the bus.
My right to work: As a survivor of modern slavery I have no right to work, as this is tied to legal status. As a result, my financial freedom is on lockdown. Even if I had the right to work, my job prospects would be limited due to my dearth of prior work experience within the country, lack of referees, and the inability to upskill or train. It is widely reported in the media that the UK needs workers for seasonal jobs. I am sitting at home willing to work, and in need of work.
My education: Access to education is also tied to immigration status. As an asylum seeker I am only entitled to a certain level of education at local colleges, and cannot afford other forms of learning.
Loss of connection: I don’t have any access to face to face contact with my caseworkers. The regular contact used to give me a sense of stability and security. My caseworkers provided resources, advice, information and sometimes companionship. Now, this relationship has been reduced to phone calls that do not provide the same relief. I was previously going to college and community support groups, but neither are possible anymore and I feel more anxious and depressed.
Increased isolation and trauma: As a survivor of slavery, I already experienced lockdown whilst being exploited. I was not allowed to leave on any grounds. Everyone was working for no pay, dehumanised, and fearful for the future. Being in lockdown is extra triggering for me.
Overall, lockdown has just given everyone a little idea or small sense of what I have had to go through in my everyday life. The coronavirus lockdown has just aggravated my life conditions, postponing even further the possibility to thrive in life and follow my dreams.
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