The family of Awaab Ishak, who died due to a pulmonary crisis that led to cardiac arrest, had filed complaints and complaints about the situation in the apartment without the managers taking any action.
Awaab Ishak he could never know England, the land in which he was born and to which his parents came as refugees. The boy, who appears smiling and full of vitality in the photos, died in hospital a few days after his two-year-old birthday. He was short of breath, choking, and the pulmonary crisis culminated in a cardiac arrest from which it did not come out. A death that it can be avoided, that it is responsible, and that it has exposed the conditions unhealthy of the social housing in which thousands of families are housed in Britain.
Awaab lived with her parents in a one-bedroom flat in Rochdale, on the outskirts of Manchester. On the damp walls of the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom grew the mold and blackened fungi, as evidenced by a sanitary inspection in July 2020. Constant exposure to this mold was the reason for the death of the child four months later, according to the coroner’s report, the conclusions of which have shaken British society. Repeated complaints and complaints filed by the father with the non-profit association that runs the properties, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), were to no avail. No one moved a finger.
“I cannot say before how many professionals of the health We have cried and how many times have we complained to the RBH staff about the conditions in which we lived with Awaab,” said the family’s statement after the verdict. “We have shouted as loud as we can, but despite all our efforts, every night we came back with the same problem.”
“Unfit”
Faisal Adullah had reached the United Kingdom from Sudan in 2016. A year later his wife, Aisha Amin, followed. Already then they reported the problem of mold. The answer was to paint over it. In 2018 Awaab was born. The baby had colds and respiratory problems throughout his entire life. Mold produces spores that float in the air and when inhaled can cause allergic reactions, skin problems or asthma attacks. Young children and the elderly are the most vulnerable.
In June 2020, Abdullah hired a lawyer and denounced the association. A supervisor from the local authorities visited the flat and declared it “unfit for human habitation”. But the repairs could not begin until an agreement was reached. In September, the community midwife warned of the impact that this humidity could have on the child. Nothing was done.
The autopsy showed severe inflammation of the child’s respiratory tract, as well as fungus in the lungs and blood. “How is it possible that, in 2020, in the UK, a two-year-old child will die as a result of exposure to mold?” asked coroner Joanne Kearsley.
The family believes that the negligent behavior of the association was motivated in part by the racism and the second-rate treatment of migrants Y refugees. “There is no doubt that we were treated that way because we are from another country and we are not so aware of how the system works.” The association’s director, Gareth Swarbrick, repeatedly refused to resign despite a local newspaper campaign and a personal request from one of the ministers, Michael Gove. “I can’t believe he’s still in office,” Gove said. Finally, this Saturday he was dismissed.
Widespread problem
Around 450,000 homes in England have condensation and mold problems. Management that is not very transparent and carelessness in the maintenance of social flats by local authorities or associations is a widespread problem. Two million elderly tenants live in unsanitary places that are unsuitable for their respiratory or mobility problems.
The conversion of shops and offices into accommodation has been carried out without excessive quality controls in the face of enormous demand. In England alone, more than a million people are on waiting lists to get a living place subsidized. The British Parliament is currently processing a new regulation for this type of properties in order to increase management controls. For Awaab any measure comes too late.