Demhat Aksoy, a trans woman activist who has recently moved to Sweden seeking asylum, has started a hunger strike to draw attention to her living conditions as an asylum seeker. We are sharing her message below, explaining why she has chose to strike. 

“This is a ‘ Hunger Strike ‘ text
Hello, I am Demhat, a trans-woman.
I have migrated to Sweden because my life was in danger and I wanted to have a more peaceful life. Transphobia, harassment and violence was part of my daily life, so though one does not get used to those- I know them well. However, here is one more thing that I have to re-encounter here in Sweden which is called racism.

By all means, the problem is not only racism. If you are a refugee in the asylum process, you are only allowed an isolated life barred from society, away from urban settings. Maybe that is kind of a life most of us could not find; you are settled to a flat, you are given money for the food. What about socialization, social cohesion or work, don’t we need them as well? But there is no place for any of these in the asylum process. There is no limit to ‘waiting’, no definite timing. Some waits for 8 months, some waits for 2 years, some for 5. Not all waitings have a good ending – some can be deported! But this is our lives which are damned to uncertainty.

Life during asylum process…
Actually there is no life during this process. You try to create a daily routine for yourself and this routine is probably the same for everyone who are in the asylum process. We are all living in small towns far from the city center. There is no opportunity for social activities. You get up in the morning, have some breakfast, sleep again, get up again, cook for dinner and sleep again – if you can. When you attempt to register for gym, you cannot – you do not have a right to do it. Because you do not have an ID card. Indeed, if you do not have an ID card, you do not have any rights. You have no rights to get mails, you have no rights to go to gym, you have no rights to buy some internet data, you have no rights to enter entertainment centers, you have no rights to buy certain stuff like mobile phones, cars etc. Indeed, you have no rights other than breathing. They want to see your ID card for any matter and refugees in the asylum process do not have access to ID cards. There are quite a lot of questions straining my mind, but the most important one is the following:
Is our existence identified with ID cards?
Beyond a piece of paper, I am a trans who escaped from death and who wants to live. But it really hurts that I am abandoned to a kind of social death in this country!

What can I do with 2000 Kr?
When I was settled here, they started to give us a certain amount of money for food. We do not pay for the rent, electricity or heating and yes that’s brilliant indeed. However, we are human after all. We have to buy hygiene products, personal daycare stuff like wax, razors, shampoo etc. If you are a trans woman, make-up is very crucial and you have to find out to cover that with the same amount as well.
In the waiting process, you drink, eat and sleep. That is all. But we do need social rights, private spaces. Considering all these, I have started my Hunger Strike on April 30, 2018, at 18.00. My decision is certain and it is a political act!
The Swedish Immigration Authority is in charge of anything that may hurt me during the process!
I will end the action if immigration authorities makes this situation more humane and regulates the following matters.

Demands:
Stop deportation of LGBTI+ refugees
Minimise the waiting process and standardise
LMA cards to have equal opportunities with IDs
More allowances for personal needs
New regulations on trans* medical process

Despite everything, love will win!
Refuges rights are human rights!
Demhat (Bella) Aksoy”