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 go through what she had been forced to endure as a child.
She wanted to go to Europe to get a better life for herself and her children. She arrived in Sweden in 2014.
“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 was totally unprepared for the reception she received in the country she arrived to. Today, she is living in a state of uncertainty, waiting for a decision on her case. The problems have affected her health, she is constantly worrying about the future and her gastritis has become worse.
“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.”
Sweden was the first EU country she arrived to and according to the rules she cannot go anywhere else to apply for a residency permit. She is continuing her struggle to persuade the authorities that she cannot go back to Somalia. She has been to lawyers and to non-governmental organisations to get support.
“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.”