A refugee father and his family have been left 'homeless' following allegations he was assaulted at a hotel housing asylum seekers. Shay Babagar, his wife and daughter have been sofa surfing since leaving the hotel in November.
Protesters stormed Stockport council offices on Tuesday (April 11), demanding the family is housed immediately. The local authority says it is bound by laws requiring the Home Office provides asylum seekers accommodation.
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed an investigation into a suspected assault on Shay at the hotel where they lived is ongoing, but no arrests have been made. Serco, which manages the hotel, 'completely refutes' the allegations.
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The family arrived in Greater Manchester last year after fleeing Pakistan where the 35-year-old father was involved in political groups fighting for the freedom of the Balochistan region which they say is occupied. Shay believes he and his family's lives would be in danger if they were returned to Pakistan.
The human rights activist went on hunger strike in November to highlight the alleged conditions asylum seekers are facing at hotels. Allegations of assault at the hotel where Shay's family were housed were reported to the police while he was in hospital.
Since then, the family has been staying with people in Stockport where they have received help from various groups including Manchester charity RAPAR. But they refuse to return to any Serco-run hotel.
Legal proceedings relating to the suitability of the contingency accommodation offered to Shay’s family are under way, but a judicial review has not yet been lodged.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that Migrant Help UK offered new accommodation for the family in Liverpool following the protest with help from the Home Office and Stockport council staff. But campaigners say the family was taken to a hotel in Manchester, which they refused to enter.
A GMP spokesperson said: "Greater Manchester Police can confirm an investigation into a suspected assault at [a hotel] in Stockport from November 2022 is still ongoing, with no arrests made at this time."
A Serco spokesperson said it 'completely refutes' suggestions there was ‘assault and abuse’ at the Serco-managed hotel, or that any Serco employee was involved.
A statement added: "No evidence was ever provided by the asylum seeker to support this allegation and we have provided evidence to the ongoing Judicial Review to disprove that this ever occurred."
A Home Office spokesperson said: "As required by law, we provide asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute with free, fully furnished accommodation, three meals a day and a weekly allowance. This applies from their point of arrival in the UK. We do not comment on individual cases."
Stockport council's head of safeguarding Nuala O’Rourke said: "Stockport council sympathises deeply with the distressing situation the family find themselves in. We have been working with the family for several months since they began to reside in Stockport under the Government's Homes for Asylum Seekers scheme.
"We're working closely with Migrant Help UK and the Home Office to resolve this issue. As a local authority, we want to help people that need our support but are bound by the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, with the duty to provide accommodation for Asylum seeking families lying with the Home Office.
"We have and will continue to monitor the risk to the family and establish mediation meetings between the family, the Home Office and Migrant Help UK."
Migrant Help UK is a registered charity who support asylum seekers and victims of human slavery and trafficking which has been commissioned by the Home Office to support those claiming asylum in the UK, help them find accommodation and local support.
A spokesperson said: "We are very sorry to hear of this case, and of the difficulties that this family has undergone.
"Migrant Help is not responsible for providing accommodation to people seeking asylum. Under our Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) contract with the Home Office, we signpost people to the relevant services, and we also assist with asylum support applications, (including accommodation) and reporting any issues with accommodation to the appropriate provider.
"Unfortunately, we are not able to comment on individual cases, due to client confidentiality and data protection. We can confirm that we continue to support this client, as we have been doing over the last 11 months."
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