In August 2019, Sophia’s hip was broken in clashes with Hong Kong police during a protest against China’s encroaching control over the city.
In December that year she was beaten again, and by 2020 she became convinced the authorities were going to arrest her. So the 18-year-old took the difficult decision to leave her studies and family, and head for London.
Now Sophia, whose real name has been changed to protect her identity, is sleeping on a couch 6,000 miles from home, stuck in bureaucratic limbo and unsure of her fate.
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