Mercy Baguma, a refugee from Uganda, was living in extreme poverty at the time of her death
A starving baby was found crying beside his dead mother in a flat after the destitute woman lost her job.
The one-year-old tot was found beside mum Mercy Baguma, an asylum seeker from Uganda, who had told friends she was living in extreme poverty.
Mercy, who was in her 30s, had been working but is understood to have lost her job after her ‘limited leave to remain’ expired and she could not work.
She claimed asylum and was relying on the generosity of friends and charities, and was said to have ‘adored’ her little boy.
The baby boy, who was found crying and weakened from starvation beside his mum’s body, in Govan, Glasgow, is now being cared for by his father, who is understood to be an asylum seeker.
The tragedy was discovered by cops on August 22, and Mercy was last heard from four days earlier, when she spoke to pals.
A week earlier, on August 11, she got in touch with charity Positive Action for Housing, to seek help and would have been deemed high priority for support.
No cause of death has yet been established.
Seven MPs from Glasgow are demanding action after a series of tragedies in the lockdown involving asylum seekers, including a mass stabbing at a hotel, Park Inn, where knifeman Badreddin Abdalla Adam attacked six people before being shot dead by police.
Authorities had been warned he was suffering from severe mental health problems and asylum seekers had protested about living conditions at the hotel.
And asylum seeker Adnan Walid Elbii was also found dead in a hotel room during the lockdown.
Robina Qureshi, Director of Positive Action in Housing said: “Mercy contacted our charity on August 11 and said she was not getting any financial support yet had made an application to MigrantHelp.
“Had she lived she would have been a high priority for a crisis payment from our Emergency Relief Fund like hundreds of others left functionally destitute by the asylum system.
“The question remains, why are mothers and babies being left to go hungry in this city, why is it being left to charities and volunteers to pick up the pieces?
“Would this mother be alive if she was not forced out of her job by this cruel system that stops you from working and paying your way because a piece of paper says your leave to remain has expired?
“I’m sure Mercy’s son will want to ask this and other questions once he is old enough.
“People are literally depressed – and the system seems designed to break spirits.
“It’s a matter of when – not if – the next tragedy occurs and this reinforces our resolve for a public inquiry.
“We demand a public inquiry and Mercy’s death to be investigated along side Adnan Walid Elbi and the Park Inn tragedy.
“We call on the Church of Scotland and all of civic society to support our call for an independent public inquiry.”
Related – Flashback: To Jeremy Corbyn’s first address as Labour leader- at a Refugees Welcome rally
