The Herald
Catriona Stewart has been writing closely about asylum issues for several years now, taking a particularly close view of the political issues involved in what is a reserved matter that intersects with devolved priorities. Caught between the various competing political wranglings are the people who find themselves attempting to make Scotland their home during a time of trauma and uncertainty. The issue of migration has become ever more prescient given the current Conservative government's hostile immigration policies and the war in Ukraine seeing the movement of thousands of displaced people, including to Scotland where local authorities have scrambled to introduce policies to house these new Scots and make them welcome. Catriona's careful cultivation of contacts in this field and her consistent sensitive and intelligent treatment of immigration issues allowed her access to two ships berthed in Scotland and commissioned by the Scottish Government to house Ukrainians. Catriona was the only reporter to gain access to both the MS Ambition and the MS Victoria when they were used as floating accommodation in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The ships' charter company would turn out to be the same company that leased the Bibby Stockholm to the UK Government and Catriona secured an exclusive interview with the woman in charge of organising the controversial barge. For this entry, however, Catriona's piece on the MS Ambition tells the story of life on board the vessel and the onward journeys of those who suddenly found themselves in the baffling position of reinventing their lives in a new country on a cruise ship. This was an exercise that took several weeks to achieve, slowly building trust to go behind the scenes on the ship. Again, this skill of empathy and care allowed Catriona unprecedented access to women and volunteers involved in Amma Birth Companions. This unique charity supports women in the asylum system who are birthing their babies far away from family and after suffering trauma. Catriona's long form feature is a beautifully crafted, in-depth portrait of women supporting one another, showing a unique and otherwise untold side of the asylum and refugee communities. Finally, in a hard-hitting news piece, Catriona uses the appalling story of the Okwo family's plight to highlight the wider issues faced by so many who find themselves falling through the cracks of an under-funded and often heartless system. The family was later housed by a volunteer and Catriona visited them in their new home, where Mr Okwo expressed gratitude for helping he, his wife and children to find a welcoming place to live.