Comrade Marcel
5th January 2004, 19:50
Joy Bernard Backgrounder & Request for Letter of Support
Please read this letter from Joy about her situation with Immigration Canada. OCAP has been working with Joy for some time. She currently has an application for landed status on humanitarian and compassionate grounds pending. Immigration accepts only 4% of these applications.
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My name is Joy Bernard Omorogbe. I was born in Nigeria and came to Canada in 1996 while I was pregnant with my daughter, Jennifer. I came to Canada because my life was in danger in Nigeria. The police were looking for me and if they found me they would kill me. The Government officials were looking for me because I was a participant in a demonstration against the government accusing them of murder and wrong-doing in Nigeria. My mother and I were involved in a political demonstration and after that the military began looking for us and we were caught and locked up, beaten, raped and wounded.
I was unconscious and when I woke I found myself in an infirmary where the attending nurse, after stitching my wounds, assisted me to escape. I was unable to see my mother before I escaped from detention and have not seen her since. I left my mother in detention and do not know if she is alive or dead.
When hiding I met a guy that I had a brief relationship with and I got pregnant. Since I left Nigeria up to this date I have no connection with the father of my baby and we are from different tribes in Nigeria. These two, Edo and Delta, do not have a friendly interaction with each other. On the other hand he might be a married man by now after all these
years. I remain unmarried and I was unmarried at the time I arrived in Canada.
I have went through so many appeals and everything seems not to be working good for us. Immigration wants to send us to Nigeria where the military are looking for me. My daughter was born here in Canada. Her home is here now. I work so hard to make sure she has the best life. Sending her to Nigeria, she will face (female genital mutilation) FGM, as I did. This is a painful experience, or leaving her here to foster care will be a
permanent psychological damage in her life. As for me, going back to Nigeria with no home, no place to live, and the Government looking for me, it will be a deserter, hell. Please, we need your help, we feel safe here in Canada, this place is our home now.
Thanks,
Joy Bernard.
She needs your support! Please read the backgrounder below and write a
letter of support as soon as possible.
PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO WRITE A LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR HER
It bolsters her case significantly if she can show that she does have support and that people from a wide variety of backgrounds know about her case and believe that it would be wrong not to grant her status.
LETTER-WRITING TIPS!
-address your letter to "Immigration Officer"
-include Joy's full name: Joy Bernard Omorogbe
-explain who you are and why you believe Joy should be granted landed
status in Canada
-please fax your letters to OCAP at (416)925-9681 and we will deliver
them
en masse, if you have trouble faxing give ocap a quick call:
416-925-6939
** we urge you to approach your union, social justice organization,
church, mosque, school and what ever other organizations you belong to and encourage them to send a letter as well***
**
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
NEW ADDRESS!: 10 Britain St. Toronto, Ontario M5A 1R6
416-925-6939 [email protected]
www.ocap.ca (http://www.ocap.ca)
**
Please read this letter from Joy about her situation with Immigration Canada. OCAP has been working with Joy for some time. She currently has an application for landed status on humanitarian and compassionate grounds pending. Immigration accepts only 4% of these applications.
---
My name is Joy Bernard Omorogbe. I was born in Nigeria and came to Canada in 1996 while I was pregnant with my daughter, Jennifer. I came to Canada because my life was in danger in Nigeria. The police were looking for me and if they found me they would kill me. The Government officials were looking for me because I was a participant in a demonstration against the government accusing them of murder and wrong-doing in Nigeria. My mother and I were involved in a political demonstration and after that the military began looking for us and we were caught and locked up, beaten, raped and wounded.
I was unconscious and when I woke I found myself in an infirmary where the attending nurse, after stitching my wounds, assisted me to escape. I was unable to see my mother before I escaped from detention and have not seen her since. I left my mother in detention and do not know if she is alive or dead.
When hiding I met a guy that I had a brief relationship with and I got pregnant. Since I left Nigeria up to this date I have no connection with the father of my baby and we are from different tribes in Nigeria. These two, Edo and Delta, do not have a friendly interaction with each other. On the other hand he might be a married man by now after all these
years. I remain unmarried and I was unmarried at the time I arrived in Canada.
I have went through so many appeals and everything seems not to be working good for us. Immigration wants to send us to Nigeria where the military are looking for me. My daughter was born here in Canada. Her home is here now. I work so hard to make sure she has the best life. Sending her to Nigeria, she will face (female genital mutilation) FGM, as I did. This is a painful experience, or leaving her here to foster care will be a
permanent psychological damage in her life. As for me, going back to Nigeria with no home, no place to live, and the Government looking for me, it will be a deserter, hell. Please, we need your help, we feel safe here in Canada, this place is our home now.
Thanks,
Joy Bernard.
She needs your support! Please read the backgrounder below and write a
letter of support as soon as possible.
PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO WRITE A LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR HER
It bolsters her case significantly if she can show that she does have support and that people from a wide variety of backgrounds know about her case and believe that it would be wrong not to grant her status.
LETTER-WRITING TIPS!
-address your letter to "Immigration Officer"
-include Joy's full name: Joy Bernard Omorogbe
-explain who you are and why you believe Joy should be granted landed
status in Canada
-please fax your letters to OCAP at (416)925-9681 and we will deliver
them
en masse, if you have trouble faxing give ocap a quick call:
416-925-6939
** we urge you to approach your union, social justice organization,
church, mosque, school and what ever other organizations you belong to and encourage them to send a letter as well***
**
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
NEW ADDRESS!: 10 Britain St. Toronto, Ontario M5A 1R6
416-925-6939 [email protected]
www.ocap.ca (http://www.ocap.ca)
**