Awaab Ishak’s father: I hope Awaab’s Law spares other families my grief
Lawyer for family of Rochdale toddler who died after mould exposure says next step is educating vulnerable families about their rights
The father of toddler Awaab Ishak, whose death due to mould exposure sparked a law change compelling landlords to deal with hazards more quickly, has said he hopes no family will go through the same tragedy.
The first phase of Awaab’s Law, which came into force on Monday, will force social housing providers to investigate tenants’ complaints of damp and mould within 10 working days and then make properties safe within five working days. They must also fix emergency health and safety hazards within 24 hours.
But Garden Court North Chambers barrister Christian Weaver, who represented Awaab’s family in court, said the law would need to be accompanied by better legal education so that tenants understood their rights. He added that key documents would need to be translated to ensure that different communities could access them. Awaab’s family, who are Muslim, are originally from Sudan.
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“It’s been hard,” said Awaab’s father, Faisal Abdullah, of his journey to access support in the wake of his son’s death. “My son was my pride. I just hope no family will go through the same.” Asked whether the law represented justice, he said time would tell.
Abdullah expressed particular frustration over the 2022 inquest into Ishak’s death, during which Rochdale Boroughwide Housing — the housing association that owned the family home — blamed the mould that killed his son on “ritual bathing habits”. Later, these claims were found to be based on incorrect assumptions. Weaver has highlighted how detrimental perpetuating harmful stereotypes in a court of law can be.
Muslims are the faith group most likely to live in social housing, according to the 2021 census, and families from Black and Asian backgrounds are more likely to live in damp housing than white families.
Weaver, who has worked with Awaab’s parents since the inquest began in 2020, said the next step to continue supporting those most vulnerable to the housing system should be to implement Awaab’s Law in private rented homes, and added that he was encouraged by the vow from housing secretary Steve Reed to do so.
Future phases of Awaab’s Law will extend to other housing issues, such as excess cold and heat, fire, electrical and fall hazards.
