Asylum Monologues is a first-hand account of the UK’s asylum system in the words of people who have experienced it. Launched at Amnesty International in June 2006, it has been touring the UK ever since. The script is regularly updated with new testimonies.

‘This waiting for the Home Office to decide, I always say that it is a diplomatic form of torture. They are not raping us, they are not burning us with cigarettes, but they are torturing us mentally, and that’s the worst.’

Some audience feedback:

‘It really brought home just how easy it is to demonise asylum seekers and just how ignorant a lot of people are about the issues, including myself.’ – Audience member, Asylum Monologues, Oxford

‘Thank you so much for the contribution of you and your colleagues on Friday.  The feedback was good to very good (the highest rating) and was one of the best received events we have put on.’ – Nic Bunker, Division of Clinical Psychology – East Midlands Branch

Click here to watch a 20 minute film about how Asylum Monologues was developed.

We have also collected a number of other testimonies focusing on lack of access to medical care, access to maternity care for women in the asylum system, destitution and detention of asylum seekers and the experiences of Darfuri asylum seekers living in the UK. Please let us know if you are interested in using the Asylum Monologues format to highlight certain issues about the asylum experience.

There is a German version of Asylum Monologues which was launched in 2011 and is now available for performances in Germany. An Irish version of Asylum Monologues is also available to anyone who is interested in performing the script in Ireland (contact us for details).

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Download a list of sources used to write Asylum Monologues