DATE. Be heard Be counted. Spring / Summer 2010 Chance or choice Refugee Week events Day Centre appeal Host a RefuTEA

Transcription

1 UP DATE Newsletter for the supporters of the Refugee Council Be heard Be counted Spring / Summer 2010 Chance or choice Refugee Week events Day Centre appeal Host a RefuTEA 1

2 2 Cover photo: oversnap / istockphoto.com Editorial When Britain s newly elected MPs take their seats following the general election, many will not only be new to Parliament but also to asylum issues. Yet their role will be crucial. As well as representing constituents on a wide range of issues they will be responsible for voting on asylum legislation, undertaking asylum casework and holding the government to account on asylum policy. As you can see from this edition of Update we remain uniquely placed at the Refugee Council to ensure that throughout the next Parliament and beyond, we can make a real difference. Whether it is through our direct work with the thousands of people who use our services such as the Day Centre every year, the influential research such as Chance or choice? that we publish, the events that we hold, our campaigning work on important issues such as detention and asylum support cuts, or our work with politicians such as the asylum pledge, we know that what we do is needed. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for the great support you have given us so far and to urge you all to continue to support us so that we can continue to help refugees to rebuild their lives and speak with credibility and campaign on asylum issues at this important time. Donna Covey, Chief Executive Chance or choice Why do asylum seekers come to the UK? Politicians and the media have done their fair share of myth-peddling on why people seek protection in this country. The public is led to believe that it s because of our generous benefits system or that the UK is a soft touch on asylum. But not even the Government s own research supports these mistaken views. A new study published by the Refugee Council in January confirms the findings of an eight year-old Home Office report, which showed that refugees have little, if any, choice over which country they claim asylum in. The report, Chance or choice? Understanding why asylum seekers come to the UK, was conducted by Professor Heaven Crawley of Swansea University. It revealed that most asylum seekers are not aware of the UK s benefits system and are ignorant about what to expect before they arrive in the country. The report showed clearly that asylum seekers do not have the luxury of choosing their destination. For the majority, the primary objective for travelling to another country was reaching a place of safety, no matter where that was. In the run up to and after the election, the Refugee Council will be using the findings of this report to remind politicians and some sections of the media the real reasons behind refugees seeking safety in the UK.

3 Specialist Team The Specialist Team reaches 10 years 2010 marks the 10th anniversary of the Refugee Council s Specialist Team, which provides much needed support to refugees and asylum seekers who are completely overwhelmed by their experiences. Many refugees have experienced or witnessed torture and violence in their home countries and arrive in the UK having to negotiate a complex asylum system that often exacerbates their feelings of anxiety and distress. Over the past three years the Specialist Team has developed a unique model of working with clients which combines practical support around issues such as housing and navigating the asylum process, with counselling to help address the emotional or psychological needs of our clients. Andy Keefe, Operations Manager Specialist Services (pictured), is looking forward to the anniversary event on 30th June. He said: This is a fantastic opportunity to bring together staff, volunteers and clients who have been involved in the team over the past 10 years to celebrate our achievements. But we must also highlight the on-going need that there is for this work. The Specialist Team is facing an unprecedented demand for their services and desperately need to raise funds to ensure that they can continue to help those most in need. Andy Keefe added: The Therapeutic Casework model not only dramatically improves the lives of our clients, but such early intervention is cost-effective as it reduces the number of people attempting suicide or self-harm and requiring in-patient services. If you would like to find out more about this vital service or to make a donation to support this work please see our website

4 Children Asylum detention: no place for a child A critical report into the detention of women and children at Yarl s Wood removal centre was published in March stating that children are detained there unnecessarily, and that the provision of activities for women is among the worst seen at any detention centre in the UK. The report from the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Dame Ann Owers, stated that not only did detention have an adverse effect on children s welfare, but that their detention was often unnecessary, with over half of the children later being released back into their community. The Refugee Council welcomes this report, which adds to a body of evidence that detention is both overused and harmful to the physical and mental wellbeing of asylum seekers. Donna Covey, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, said: Yet again more evidence has come to light of the harm detention does, especially to the welfare of already vulnerable children. Detaining children is inhumane, unnecessary and a waste of money, and must not be allowed to continue. Whilst we welcome any improvements that have been made to conditions at Yarl s Wood, the fact that half of all children detained are eventually released back into the community shows that detention is being inappropriately used. Releasing age-disputed children Among those detained are children, separated from their families, whom the government wrongly assessed to be adults. To help tackle the issue of children in detention, the Refugee Council managed to raise money from individual supporters to fund a post in the Children s Section to give support to age- Francesco Jeff disputed children, get their age correctly assessed as under 18, and placed into the care of social services. Since taking up the post of Children s Adviser for age-disputed cases in January, Francesco Jeff has already released eight separated young refugees who were wrongly detained, and placed them into the care of children s services. Rashid s Story One such child is Rashid, who came to the UK from Afghanistan because his life was threatened by the Taliban. When he arrived he was 15 years old. His age was incorrectly assessed, so he was treated as an adult and his asylum claim was later refused. He was thrown into a detention centre as an adult with a deportation order back to Afghanistan. Children in this situation have no idea where they are or what is going to happen to them. Even though he committed no crime, Rashid spent two months in detention including one week in solitary confinement. When Francesco found out about Rashid, he was due to be sent back to Afghanistan in a few days. Francesco immediately got the help of a solicitor and contacted local authority children s services. Within three days he managed to get a court order to overturn the deportation. Rashid was already in the car on the way to the airport when the driver received the call to turn around. Rashid is now safely in the care of children s services. Bill Knight

5 Too old for school herkisi / istockphoto.com Ahmed is 15 and arrived in the UK nine months ago. He had travelled from Afghanistan over land for a number of months, and arrived in the UK alone. He now lives with his foster carers in Lewisham. When he arrived, his local authority judged him to be 16, which meant he wouldn t be able to go to school. Ahmed says: It was six months before I got into college because of my age problem. I went to a school to sit entrance exams, but because of my age problem, the school said they couldn t accept me. Social Services judge a person s age using many factors such as physical appearance, mental aptitude, personality and so forth. Age assessments are often inaccurate, as they re based on little more than physical appearance. Other assessments can be more thorough, based on x-rays of the collarbone, height indexes and so on, though again these are not proven to be accurate. Ahmed s tests showed him to be 16. School education is only compulsory before that age. During the months he was out of school, Ahmed spent a lot of time at the Refugee Council Day Centre, meeting other boys his age and learning English. He started coming to the social evening on a Tuesday where he took part in a photography project and exhibited photos he had taken of his new home surroundings. When Ahmed s social worker asked him if he wanted to go to college instead, he said yes. He was bright and wanted to get qualifications. Matthew Court, a project worker for the Refugee Council SMILE project, got Ahmed a place at college. In Matthew s experience, schools are very reluctant to take new entrants into year 11 (GCSE year), particularly those who don t speak English well or haven t studied an English curriculum before. Ahmed was then placed in a programme that colleges run for young people who, for whatever reason, cannot or do not want to attend school. For a month now, Ahmed has been going to Lewisham college to study an ESOL course and is doing well. Ahmed still regularly comes to the Day Centre in South London. He says he enjoys going there because it s a place he can go to meet his friends people his own age, and people from his own country.

6 Policy & Campaigns Election Action: The Asylum Pledge Working in partnership with human rights group Liberty and the Scottish Refugee Council, we ve promoted an Asylum Election Pledge. The pledge is for you to use at a local level to ask General Election candidates to remember the UK s role in providing safety to people fleeing violence and persecution. We sent the pledge to candidates, with a copy of our booklet The Truth About Asylum. It provides key facts about refugees and asylum seekers in the UK and is essential reading for people likely to be speaking in public about asylum issues. Be sure to tell your candidates to sign the pledge. Go to Challenging cuts to asylum support Last July, the government announced cuts to financial support for asylum seekers. We immediately mobilised our campaign supporters to write to their MPs, opposing the cuts. Disappointingly, the reduced rates came into effect in October, leaving single adults to survive on just over 35 per week. Working with the Still Human Still Here coalition, we called for asylum support rates for 2010/11 to be set at 70% of standard income support. Refugee Council campaigners were among thousands of people who ed the Home Secretary to demand this change. The government announced that asylum support this year would increase by 1.1%. This falls far short of what we re calling for, and still leaves people struggling to survive. But at a time when public spending is under severe pressure, it s positive to see even a small increase. It shows that our campaigning can make a difference. After the election, we ll be asking the new government to focus on allowing asylum seekers to work and raising support rates so that people can live in safety and dignity. With your help, we can make sure they do.

7 Report finds UKBA failing asylum seekers In February, the media covered a damning report which claimed the UK Border Agency is failing to process asylum claims quickly enough, leaving thousands of asylum seekers waiting in limbo. The Independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency, John Vine, found a backlog of nearly 30,000 cases which had not been concluded within the six month period set for processing claims. In addition, he found that it is unlikely the agency will process the backlog of 450,000 older legacy cases by the deadline of July This leaves thousands of asylum seekers, who have already waited for years for a decision, waiting for even longer with little or no support. The Guardian printed a statement from Donna Covey, our Chief Executive, who said we welcomed the report, but that there was little point in setting targets that could not be met, and crucially, that often lead to the wrong decisions being made. Policy conference The Refugee Council held an insightful and informative conference in February exploring changes in policy and legislation over the past year, and the impact of these on the experience of asylum seekers and refugees. Keynote speakers included John Vine, Independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency and BBC Panorama s Paul Kenyon, who recently won the Specialist Journalist of the Year for his compelling programmes about the perilous journey many Africans make to Europe. Paul spent three years travelling between continents to map the route. His book I Am Justice tells the tale through the eyes of a teenager from Ghana, Justice Amin. One delegate said: Paul Kenyon was excellent, very hard hitting. We all need to remember where refugees come from. More stories should be told. Seven different workshops were held on various topics including health access John Vine & Paul Kenyon at the policy conference and entitlements, unaccompanied children, destitution, detention and EU asylum policy. Attending the conference were around 300 delegates from voluntary organisations, refugee community organisations, housing associations, local authorities and other agencies. The conference provided an opportunity to consider the challenges ahead in a changing economic and political climate, and to discuss specific policies for which the sector should be campaigning. Nana Varveropoulou

8 Refugee Week Refugee Week June 2010 This year we will be celebrating Refugee Week with a series of events across the country. For us it s an opportunity to celebrate and raise awareness of the rich contribution of refugees to the UK. We will be hosting our very own alternative World Cup where teams from local communities of refugee and non-refugee backgrounds will come together for friendly matches in both London and Leeds. This offers a real opportunity for people to integrate with refugee communities and learn more about our work. Our teams in Ipswich and Birmingham will be raising money and awareness by challenging people to live for a whole week on 35 the amount our government expects asylum seekers to live on. Visit the Refugee Council website during Refugee Week to see how our volunteers get on. We will also be encouraging our supporters to take part in the Simple Acts Campaign, where just doing one simple thing can help change our perceptions of refugees such as reading a book about refugees, cooking a dish from another country or playing a game of football with refugees. Please let the team know if you have done a Simple Act by logging onto the website at www. refugeeweek.org.uk/simple-acts The launch of Refugee Week 2010 in London will be at Celebrating Sanctuary (13th June) on London s South Bank where the Refugee Council will be running a Human Library in partnership with the Holocaust Educational Trust. We will close the week on World Refugee Day (20th June) with an Umbrella Parade through London. The parade will comprise of marchers carrying white umbrellas with the words For the protection of refugees. I hope you will join us at events during Refugee Week this year. Please take a look at our brochure of events and/or keep up to date with what s happening on our website at 8 TO DONATE ONLINE OR BY DIRECT DEBIT, PLEASE VISIT

9 Refugee Week Host a RefuTEA The Refugee Council is hoping supporters up and down the country will put the kettle on and host a tea party on 18 June 2010, during Refugee Week. By hosting a tea party a RefuTEA people can invite friends for a fun get-together while raising much needed funds and showing their support for asylum seekers and refugees in Britain. A RefuTEA during Refugee Week is the kind of event that celebrates what refugees have contributed to Britain. The Refugee Council s Donor Development Manager, Cristiana Camcam, said: This is a new fundraising venture which we are very excited about. It s also very easy to do: we ve produced a pack with materials and a guide that people can easily follow so it s really simple to organise. A variety of fun activities can be incorporated into a RefuTEA, such as a quiz, a bake sale, clothing or accessories swap, or even a raffle. We hope that the concept will catch on and supporters will host RefuTEA parties all over Britain. People can contact the Refugee Council to get a RefuTEA host pack which includes posters, invitations and advice on how to raise money and publicise your RefuTEA event. Register online to receive your free host pack. Or Phone: Or refutea@refugeecouncil.org.uk OUR WEBSITE

10 Day Centre Emergency Appeal update The Refugee Council felt the brunt of the economic downturn when the successive drops in interest rates decreased its income. This, coupled with an increase in demand for services and emergency packs, especially during Britain s worst winter in decades, forced the Refugee Council to turn to our donors for help. Thanks to the generosity of supporters and the tireless efforts of staff and volunteers, the Refugee Council raised over 130,000 to meet the running costs of the Day Centre this year. This is a huge relief to the 150 people that go through its doors every working day. Thanks to Refugee Council donors, the Day Centre can continue to serve nutritious meals and provide medical help and a host of other life-saving and life-changing services for vulnerable refugees, including children. A special thanks also goes to people who responded to our telephone campaigns and to donors who were recruited by our face-to-face fundraisers. Their ongoing support via direct debit greatly contributes to Day Centre services and other areas of the Refugee Council s work. The Day Centre serves around 33,000 hot lunches and breakfasts a year to destitute asylum seekers. A nutritious meal at the Brixton Day Centre 10 TO DONATE ONLINE OR BY DIRECT DEBIT, PLEASE VISIT

11 Supporters News Help refugees by doing a sponsored event Ever thought about giving time to a good cause? Want to do something different and fulfilling but don t know where to start? Let us give you some simple ideas! Sponsored events are a fun way to team up with colleagues or friends and to share a common goal. Before heading to Vietnam and Cambodia for a 12-day sponsored bike ride, Anne called her friends for a pub quiz in London. The evening raised an amazing 1,800 to help improve the lives of refugees. Fuchsia spent a weekend away from her studies to enjoy the cheers of spectators in Bath as she bravely ran the 13 miles of the half marathon. Whether you are good at sports, fancy a walk near the south coast, want to go on a skydive, or to gather your friends together for a special Making a Difference Fuchsia runs the half-marathon occasion, you can help us make a real difference in people s lives. There are a wide range of events you can choose from. Find out more from our website on supportourwork/sponsoredevents You can also check our website for 35 ways to raise 35. Go to uk/35ways A big THANK YOU to all our fundraisers for their ideas and tireless effort and for continually inspiring us. Jenny Higgins tells us how volunteering with the Refugee Council during Make a Difference Day gave her a wonderful sense of satisfaction. I ve just come back from 15 months working in Ethiopia and was looking for ways to get involved in volunteering again, when I saw that Go London were recruiting people for an event at the Refugee Council in Brixton. Admittedly, the tasks we were going to help with on the day were a draw too I enjoy painting and rarely get the chance, so I was keen to get involved in painting the Day Centre. We were also sorting out the clothes donated by people for the refugee clients attending the Centre. Staff often don t have time to sort the enormous amounts of donations, and the clothes are simply packed in boxes. By sorting out the donations, we can make sure it s much easier for refugee clients to find suitable clothes. However, one of the most satisfying parts of the day was the talk at the beginning by Nicole Masri, the event organiser. Although I had some previous knowledge of the work the Refugee Council do, it really opened my eyes to the difficult issues refugees and asylum seekers face and the ways we can help. I finished the event happily speckled with paint and satisfied I had spent my day doing something that genuinely helped. OUR WEBSITE 11

12 What s wrong with treating people right? Get involved and help change the way refugees are treated! The Refugee Council is the leading charity working with asylum seekers and refugees in the UK. We are committed to creating a fair, humane and effective asylum system that provides protection and enables refugees to rebuild their lives in safety. As a human rights charity, independent of government, we rely on your donations and your fundraising initiatives to run our lifesaving and life changing services for refugees. There are many ways you can help the Refugee Council: Sign up to our e-newsletter to receive campaigning news and calls for action at Lobby MPs to stop asylum seekers being forced to live on 35 per week. Join us on Facebook: 1,000 friends have signed up already. Be part of our increasing network. Respond to polls on asylum Support demonstrations Take part in a challenge and raise funds to support the Refugee Council. Or, even better, recruit friends and colleagues to fundraise as a team. Host a RefuTEA. Find out more at Register today to the exhilarating experience of a parachute jump. Choose from 35 ways to raise 35 by visiting our website at Organise a cash collection in your local supermarket, at work, in your neighbourhood, through your local faith group or community group. Get together with your friends for a clothes or accessories swap and ask them to contribute donations in exchange of nibbles, drinks and a good time! Sell your unused or unwanted items on and give a percentage to the Refugee Council. Host a dinner for friends while raising money for the Refugee Council Call us now with your fundraising ideas on or supporter@refugeecouncil.org.uk. Whatever you choose to do, we ll support you all the way with fundraising materials, tips and advice and moral support. Thank you! asylum is a human right Refugee Council Ferndale Road, London SW9 8BB T: F: E: supporter@refugeecouncil.org.uk UK registered charity