Moroccan asylum seeker says UK doesn't take LGBTQ+ seriously

A Moroccan asylum seeker who fled to the United Kingdom has urged the Home Office to take applications of LGBTQ+ more seriously.

Abderraim El Habachi, a gay man who faced homophobic abuse in his home country told British media the UK government is putting the lives of asylum seekers at risk when members of the LGBTQ+ community are not taken seriously. Applicants under excessive scrutiny feel as though they have to prove their gayness to the government, El Habachi said.

"The Home Office are putting people through hell because they don’t believe their sexual orientation or the struggles we are facing in our countries”, he told ITV News. 

He explained that if the Home Office deems an LGBTQ+ case ingenuine, despite the applicant being a part of the marginalised community, their lives are put at risk by being unfairly sent back home.

Abderraim said he escaped such a fate when his application was accepted, being able to live freely in Wales, as opposed to being in Morocco. 

"If people sense that you are gay, they can beat you - and you have no right to complain.”

“You are the victim at that moment but in the eyes of the law, you are the criminal because you are gay.’’

Despite the changes seen to his life since fleeing Morocco, El Habachi said he still feels the guilt of leaving his LGBTQ+ friends in Morocco, many of whom face crippling discrimination.

"I am proud of who I am but bitter because I know I’ve left a lot of people behind who look like me, who are feeling like me and who are part of my community behind.”

Because of this, he urged for activists to link LGBTQ+ rights with the UK’s immigration policy.

“When we come here we have a lot of dreams and we are following that rainbow but somehow the rainbow is stripped from us.

"We need allies to help us accomplish that dream.’’

Meanwhile, the Home Office said it reviews cases individually:

“The UK has a proud record of providing protection for asylum seekers fleeing persecution because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Each case is considered on its individual merits and all decisions on claims based on sexual orientation are reviewed by experienced caseworkers.”

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