“There are other Mercys out there:” Mercy Baguma’s sister voices heartbreak as anger grows over UK’s “inhumane” asylum policies

The sister of a mother found dead next to her ‘starving’ baby in Glasgow has told of her dismay at UK asylum laws, blaming them for her sister’s death.

Mercy Baguma, 34, was a Ugandan national tragically found dead at her flat in the Govan area of Glasgow on 22 August.

Her one-year-old son is said to have been found crying next to his mother’s dead body, having thought not to have been fed for up to four days since his mothers death.

Hadra Baguma has said her family are “angry” about what happened to Mercy, saying they believe it could have been avoided.

BBC Africa correspondent Catherine Byaruhanga told BBC Scotland’s The Nine: “Hadra told me she is quite angry.

“She wonders why her sister died for what she says was a mere piece of paper.

“She’s calling for reforms of the UK’s immigration laws because she says there are other Mercys out there, people who have lost the right to work and go on to struggle.”

She continued: “The focus for [her family] is to bring Mercy’s body back here to Uganda for burial.

“This is a grieving family going through a heartbreaking situation with their daughter and sister thousands of miles away.”

It is understood that Mercy lost her job after her limited leave to remain expired.

She accrued rent arrears and was forbidden to work or claim benefits.

It is believed she relied on food banks, charitable donations and sometimes ate at the restaurant of her former employer for free.

Asylum Policies Explained 

• Leave to remain is the term given to asylum seekers when they are granted permission to stay in the UK. It can take from a few months to a number of years for this status to be granted. 
• While a decision is being made by the Home Office, £37.75 a week is given to each member of a household on a card which can be used only for certain shops to buy essentials. It does not cover travel. 
• During this time, asylum seekers cannot work, are not allowed to study in higher education and are not allowed to drive.
• If granted, leave to remain does not last forever and will usually have an expiry date.
• Some refused asylum seekers voluntarily return home, others are forcibly returned. For some, it is not safe or practical to return until conditions in their country change. In these cases, many end up in destitution, unable to work under Home Office policies, but also unable to claim any benefits.

Friends say Mercy, who attended the Wee Welcome toddler group run by local Glasgow group Refugee Survival Trust, was a “good and caring mum” and an “amazing mother” who was “loved by all”.

A crowdfunder, Friends of Baguma, aimed to raise £10,000 to help pay for funeral costs and care costs for Mercy’s son.

Thanks to media coverage and a public outcry over her death, the fundraiser has now raised over £46,000.

Mercy’s cause of death is yet unknown but police say it is not suspicious.

Anger has been growing in Scotland in the wake of Mercy’s death, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon calling the UK’s asylum policies “deeply inhumane.”

“I find myself consumed with sadness but also with real anger at the death of Mercy Baguma and first and foremost my thoughts – and I’m sure the thoughts of all of us – go to her family and friends following her tragic death,” she said.

“We knew this before this tragedy, but it is underlined by this tragedy – the UK asylum system is not just broken, it is deeply inhumane and it must be changed.”

She added: “We need wholesale reform of our asylum system and we need to start from the principle of dignity, of empathy and of support for our fellow human beings who come to this country, seeking support at desperate and dismal times of their lives.”

Robina Quireshi, director of Positive Action in Housing, a charity which offers a lifeline to refugees in Scotland and the UK is calling for a full inquiry into Mercy’s death.

She said: “Questions need to be asked about the way asylum policy is operating across the U.K., and how immigration policy is designed to reduce working people paying taxes to the point of destitution, running up rent arrears.

“We reiterate our demand for a full independent inquiry.

“This country called Scotland can no longer turn a blind eye to the sheer inhumanity of Asylum and Immigration policy on Scottish soil.

“People are angry. Mercy’s story is just the one you know about. How many other Mercy’s do we not know about?”

Glasgow Greens councillor Kim Long said: “Mercy Baguma’s death is appalling. She was no longer allowed to work and forced into destitution – a trap created by UK government rules which deliberately remove all safety nets.

“A baby has been starved and robbed of his mother and a woman of her life. This was preventable and is outrageous.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre said: “A woman lost her life […] in Scotland because of poverty and an immigration system that pushed her into this condition. No woman or child should ever lose her life in this way.

“We are deeply saddened an alarmed by these news. Our thoughts are with Mercy Baguma’s loved ones.”

The Home Office has pledged to launch an investigation into what happened to Mercy.

To donate to the fund to support Mercy’s funeral costs, click here and to support her baby son, click here.