Moving stories of refugee women are the focus of a series of online podcasts being launched by the Refugee Council today, as part of its winter appeal. The appeal centres around the Refugee Council’s work with vulnerable women who have claimed asylum in the UK, and the work the Refugee Council does to help them rebuild their lives in safety.

The appeal takes the form of a set of four ‘podcasts’, one broadcast each week beginning today. Each podcast looks at a different area of the Refugee Council’s work with women, and features poignant testimony from women of all ages who have overcome torture, rape and serious human rights abuses to seek sanctuary here in the UK. They form a rare opportunity to hear, first hand, refugee women talk about their struggle to rebuild their lives.

Barbara Keating, New Media Manager at the Refugee Council said:

“Most of our clients have experienced atrocities we can only imagine. For the women that we see, these can be particularly harrowing, leaving them especially vulnerable. For many, the nightmare continues after they arrive in the UK, where they are often isolated and scared. The Refugee Council offers a wide range of services to help women overcome this, from counselling and support services, projects with older women and support for community organisations to reach out to the women who may be the most alone.

“We are especially pleased that we can talk about this work in this new and exciting way. The podcasts feature the stories of just some of the women we help, and we hope people will download them each week and take a few minutes to listen to the voices of these women who despite everything have found the strength to speak out and tell their stories.”

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Notes to editor

1. The podcasts are available for download at www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/vulnerablewomen. Full information is included on how to subscribe to iTunes. A script is also available for those with hearing-impairment.