This Christmas, SOAS Students' Union is raising money for Helping Households Under Great Stress (HHUGS) and the Abortion Support Network. 

Instead of asking for gifts from family and friends this winter, we're asking that people ask instead for donations to either of these great causes. 

HHUGS exists to provide financial, emotional, and practical support and advice to Muslim households impacted by counter-terrorism, national security and extremism-related laws, policies and procedures, in the UK and abroad.

As the War on Terror has expanded from acts of violence against civilians to effectively criminalise political thought and certain religious beliefs, the number of individuals arrested for suspected involvement in terrorism-related activity has rapidly grown. Many are never prosecuted for any specific criminal offence but instead detained without charge or subjected to Terrorism Preventative Investigative Measures (T-PIMs), a restrictive regime under which suspects are placed under house arrest and have severe restrictions placed on their freedom of association, movement and ability to communicate with others.

For every arrest and detention, a home has been raided and ravaged and a family has suffered the loss of a loved one, a bread winner, a dear husband. a much loved son. These are homes where life will never be the same.

For many of these families, ordinary daily tasks become increasingly difficult as they struggle to make ends meet and maintain physical contact with their loved ones, often imprisoned hundreds of miles away.  Moreover, due to the nature of the crimes for which their loved ones are accused, these families find themselves ostracized and marginalized from both the religious and ethnic communities that they belong to as well as the wider society. They are lonely, vulnerable, and desperate for help.

Our mission is to banish the ‘guilty by association’ label experienced by the wives and children of terror suspects. We believe that they should not be penalized and discriminated against on the basis that their loved ones are accused of involvement in criminal activity.

We strive to bring relief and support to households devastated by anti-terror raids by offering friendship in addition to emotional, financial, and practical support, advice and information through a country-wide network of dedicated volunteers.