About this presentation In this training pack you will find part of the general human rights education material created by Amnesty International UK. This presentation is a guide for Trainers to use when engaging with Local Groups, Student Groups or external organisations. The script is intended for delivery in a training or facilitation setting. You may add or delete slides as you find appropriate and adapt the script to suit the style and length of your session. Also included is an additional Activity, Sheet should you require further material when holding longer sessions. Training Objectives: 1. To identify the distinction between refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants. 2. To address the misconceptions regarding asylum seeker and refugees. Suggested Resources Post-it notes Flip-chart, paper and pens Laptop and projector Training Pack Contents This Refugee Training Pack contains the following materials to support you whilst administering training: 1. Facilitation Notes 2. PowerPoint Presentation 3. Activity Sheet (Optional) 4. Links to Resources 5. FAQs 1
Slide 2: Who are these people? When delivering training, begin your presentation with slide 2; this slide displays some familiar faces from popular culture, all of whom are refugees. Ask the audience if they recognise any of the famous faces and whether they are able to establish the links that connect them. The following links may be included: 1. The similarity between all of these figures is the fact that they were all refugees before succeeding in their respective professions. 2. They all faced discrimination and troubled times in their home countries, to the extent that they had to leave their home and seek refuge elsewhere. These figures include: Albert Einstein, the world most well-known physicist. What you may not know is that he left Germany permanently after the rise of the Nazi party. As he was Jewish, Einstein could not secure a position in a university and his books were amongst those burnt by the Nazi regime. Omid Djalili is a comedian, however there was very little to laugh about when his parents had to flee Iran because of their faith. author who wrote The Tiger Who Came to Tea. As a child she too had to flee Nazi Germany because of her Jewish heritage. She depicted the story of her flight in her semi- When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. The bottom-right picture shows singer MIA whose family fled from the civil war in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lan ndependence activist; therefore, her entire family were forced into hiding following the civil war in order to escape persecution. To left is Fabrice Muamba, a footballer recognised for his appearances for Premiership teams like Arsenal and Bolton Wanderers. What you may not know about Fabrice is that he had to leave the Democratic Republic of Congo with his family due to Finally, we have a Syrian child who lives in a refugee camp in Lebanon. is uncertain and still to be determined however it is clear from the examples above that refugees can thrive and have the ability to prosper when circumstances allow. 2
Slide 3: History This slide will include a brief history of refugees and how this history has shaped the world we live in today. You may include: 1. Refugees who have fled from persecution and warfare at home, coming to countries such as the UK for over 400 years. 2. Persecution may include torture, detention without charge or trial, disappearance (removing someone from the family and community without informing anyone of where they are), being threatened with any of these punishments of employing these threats to prevent people exercising their rights to practice religion or express their sexual orientation. Some examples of the refugees who have fled to the UK include: Members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France known as Huguenots, who fled to the UK to escape the religious persecution they faced in the 17 th and 18 th century. People, mainly Jews from countries such as Poland and Russia, fled to the UK in order to escape persecution, largely from the end of the 19 th century and prior to the Second World War. Asians who were expelled from Uganda under Idi Amin came to the UK. Somali refugees fleeing civil war and persecution from the early continued into the 21 st century. Wars in countries such as Afghanistan and civil wars in places such as Syria have led refugees to seek safety and shelter in the UK. As we can see from the examples people have been fleeing persecution and warfare for centuries. However, the term refugee did not come into official use until 1951. Prior to 1951, The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees defined who is a refugee, their rights and the legal obligations of states. It was originally restricted to refugees from Europe but the 1967 Protocol removed geographical and temporal restrictions. 3
Slide 4: Defining People on the Move This slide will inform the audience about why it is important to understand the different types of people on the move, including refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and internally displaced people. You may include: 1. There are many reasons why people leave their homes and countries. Sometimes they are forced to move, fleeing from war or persecution or they move because of environmental disaster and poverty. 2. Terms such as Refugee, Asylum Seeker and Migrant are often misunderstood and mistakenly used synonymously. 3. Being able to distinguish between a Refugee, Asylum Seeker, Migrant or Internally Displaced Person is really important. 4. Ask the audience how they would define the term: Refugee, Asylum Seeker, Migrant Internally Displaced Person. 5. We are now going to through each of the definitions and hopefully you will be able to understand how these terms differ. 4
Slide 5: Refugee This slide summarises the definition of a refugee according to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. The definition which is explained below is more complex and technical. You may include: 1. According to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, a Refugee is somebody who: Fears being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. Where none of these reasons applies, a person will not be a refugee. Therefore, someone fleeing a civil war may be at great risk of serious harm but not for one of these reasons. If so, he or she is not a refugee. A person, who is outside of the country of their nationality and is unable to, or due to these fears, cannot safely return to their country. The issue of safety is critical, as simply being unable to return will not be sufficient to establish an asylum claim. 2. It is important to understand that a person has refugee status because they meet the definition in the UN Convention. They therefore qualify to be recognised as a refugee and provided with certain rights. 3. Many people are refugees whether or not they have been officially recognised by the government of the country in which they are seeking asylum. 5
Slide 6: Asylum Seeker This slide gives a simple definition of asylum seeker and seeks to clarify the distinction between refugees and asylum seekers. This slide also gives further details of how asylum can be claimed. You may include: 1. An asylum seeker is somebody who claims that they are a refugee. They have asked the government of another country to recognise their refugee status and allow them to live there. 2. You have to be outside of your country of origin to apply for asylum. 3. In most cases, you have to get to the country where you wish to claim asylum before applying. The UK will not normally accept asylum claims made by someone who is not already in the UK. 4. The case of Julian Assange is exceptional: Assange sought asylum from Ecuador, while still in the UK facing extradition to Sweden. He has remained in the Ecuador Embassy in London for 2 years. 5. It is important to understand that the terms asylum seeker and refugee are not mutually exclusive. A refugee is a refugee by virtue of meeting the UN Refugee Convention definition and should be granted asylum under the provisions of that Convention. 6. The UK, like many countries in Europe and North America, operate a system to determine whether someone is or is not a refugee. Asylum seekers' claims are determined by the Home Office in the UK. When the UK Home Office determines someone is a refugee, it grants 'refugee leave'. By administering this process the UK is seeking to meet its international obligations to the refugee. 6
Slide 7: Internally Displaced Person (IDP) This slide gives the definition for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP). It is important to emphasise the difference between IDPs and refugees. You may include: 1. An internally displaced person is somebody who: Is seeking safety in another part of their country than where they normally live because they are afraid of being persecuted or have suffered or at risk of suffering some other serious harm (e.g. forced to move by reason of flood or drought). Does not cross any international borders, so cannot be refugees (remember the UN Convention definition states that a refugee is outside his or her country of origin). 2. Remains the responsibility of their government, even though their government may be the reason for their persecution. 3. For example: Muslims fleeing wide spread discrimination and persecution in the western part of the Central African Republic and have moved to makeshift camps in another part of the country. 7
Slide 8: Migrant You may include that: 1. A Migrant is somebody who moves from one country to another. Their reason for leaving could range from joining their family, to studying and working. 2. UK immigration statistics for the 12 months leading up to March 2014, gives figures of 156,000 on work visas, 219,000 student visas and 36,000 family visas were granted to migrants. These figures do not include migration of EU nationals. 3. Some migrants move voluntarily, while others are forced to leave. 4. In addition there are two categories of migrants. The first category is hese are people who have legal permission live in the country they have moved to. For example: a person moving to the UK on a spouse sponsored visa to live with their British spouse. The second category is. These are people who move across borders without permission to do so. For example: a person who enters the UK without permission, e.g. a visa. 8
Slide 9 - Activity: Refugee? The next three slides will test the knowledge and understanding of the audience and their ability to distinguish between refugees, asylum seekers, etc. This slide gives the example of 17-year-old Omar from Syria. You may choose to do the following: 1. Tell the audience that: Omar is 17 years old and having taken part in anti-government protests, he has had to leave his family and belongings in Syria due to the civil war. He arrived in the UK in 2013 and has submitted his asylum application. 2. Ask the audience if they think Omar is a refugee and the reason for their answer. The correct answer is Yes, Omar is a refugee but he is also an asylum seeker. 3. Explain to the audience that Omar is a refugee because he meets the definition in the 1951 he fears persecution by the Assad regime for reasons of political opinion. He has a strong claim that his engagement in protests marks his political opposition to the government, and that it is not safe for him to return. He is also an asylum seeker as he has submitted an asylum application in the UK and is made by the UK Home Office. 9
Slide 10 Activity: Refugee? This slide gives the example of Raju who is a migrant. It is worth having a discussion about whether Raju is audience to debate their thoughts and understanding. The example also does not rule out whether Raju could be a refugee. For instance, if his hardship results from his property, land and rights to work being taken from him because of his ethnicity or religion, perhaps this hardship is a result of persecution and he is a refugee after all. It is a common misconception that economic migration is necessarily antithetical to refugee status; you may seek to discuss this point with the audience. Lastly, you may want to emphasise that in some instances a person can be both a refugee and regular migrant or a refugee and irregular migrant. Many refugees are forced to cross borders without permission in order to make a claim for asylum. Thus, many refugees come to the UK (and other countries) as irregular migrants. You may choose to do the following: 1. Ask the audience if they think Raju is a refugee and the reason for their answer. 2. Tell the audience that based on the limited information we have the correct answer is no, Raju is a migrant. However, the example also does not fully rule out whether Raju could be a refugee. For instance, if his hardship results from his property, land and rights to work being taken from him because of his ethnicity or religion, perhaps this hardship is a result of persecution and he is a refugee after all. 3. Ask the audie 4. Remind the audience be in the country they have 5. Tell the audience that in example does not make it clear if he sought permission i.e. a work permit, prior to entering the UK. 6. Explain to the audience that it is also possible for regular and irregular migrants to be refugees. For instance, prior to November 2002, Zimbabwe was a no visa country which meant Zimbabweans were able to travel to the UK without needing a visa. This meant that Zimbabwean refugees could travel to the UK as regular migrants and seek asylum here. However, changes imposing a visa requirement prevented many persecuted Zimbabweans from taking safe and legal routes to the UK for asylum. Most of the countries from which refugees may flee often require visas to enter the UK and therefore many refugees travel as irregular migrants and unlawfully enter the UK. Once in the UK, these refugees seek to regularise their status by claiming asylum. 10
Slide 11 Activity: Refugee? This slide gives the example of Mariam who is a refugee. She and has fled with her children escaping religious persecution, which classifies her as a refugee under the UN Convention. You may want to discuss what could have been the case if Mariam was not able to enter Chad and therefore remained on the Central African Republic side of the border, i.e. she would be an IDP and not a refugee. You may include: 1. Mariam fled civil unrest and religious persecution in the Central African Republic with her children and now lives in a camp in neighbouring Chad 2. Ask the audience is Mariam a refugee? Tell the audience the correct answer is yes, Mariam is a refugee according to the 1951 UN Convention as she fear persecution for one of the following reasons; persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. 3. Discuss with the audience what would have been the case if Mariam was not able to cross over into Chad. 4. Tell the audience that the correct answer is that if Mariam was unable to cross over in to Chad, she and her children would be internally displaced people. 11
Slide 12: Fleeing from and fleeing to This slide seeks to address the myth that refugees only flee to developed countries. You may choose to do the following: 1. Ask the audience where they think refugees are coming from and going to? 2. Ask the audience if they feel they are fleeing poor countries to developed countries in the Europe and North America? 3. Inform the audience that the majority of people fleeing conflict or persecution in their countries end up as internally displaced people. Those who are able to leave usually become refugees in neighbouring countries. 4. Explain that over two thirds of people fleeing their homes become internally displaced people. In 2013, the total number of IDPs in the world was 33.3 million people. Around 23.9 million of them were protected and assisted by UNHCR. Leaving nearly 10 million IDPs without any international assistance or protection. In comparison there were a total of 16.7 million refugees and 1.2 million asylum seekers in 2013. 12
Slide 13: Source Countries This slide shows figures from an UNHCR report, illustrating where the majority of refugees are fleeing from. You may say the following: 1. This chart shows where the majority of refugees are fleeing from. 2. Over 5 million refugees were from Afghanistan and Syria. 3. Many refugees were fleeing countries in Africa and Middle East but people from Asia and South America also made up over 800,000 refugees. 13
Slide 14: Host Countries This slide shows figures from an UNHCR report, illustrating where the majority of refugees are fleeing to. You may say the following: 1. This chart shows the countries where the majority of refugees are fleeing to in 2013. 2. With the majority of refugees fleeing Afghanistan, it comes as no surprise that neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Iran are recipients of the highest number of refugees. 3. The same can be seen for the neighbouring countries of Syria, such as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. 4. In addition, just as is the case with sources of refugees coming from the Middle East and Africa, the majority of host countries are also from that region. 14
Slide 15 The UK Context This slide gives an overview of asylum seekers and refugees in the UK and seeks to address the mi entitlements to asylum seekers to asylum seekers taking jobs and given priority council housing. You may wish to include the following: 1. Ask the audience: In 2013, how man asylum applications do you think the UK received? Is it a) 25,000 50,0000 b) 50,000 100,000 or c) more than 100,000 2. Tell the audience: the answer is actually none of the above, because in 2013 the number of people seeking asylum in the UK was 23,507, which actually accounts for 0.47 asylum applications per 1000 people in the UK. (The Migration Observatory, University of Oxford) 3. The number of applications has fallen over the past decade, with a 49% drop since 2002. However with increasing conflict and crisis across the world, in particular the growing refugee crisis in Syria, applications for asylum have increased since 2010 by 4%. 4. fourth amongst EU countries, with Germany, France and Sweden all receiving higher number of asylum applications. For example, Germany received 109,600 applications in 2013 compared to 23,507 in the UK. 5. The portrayal of asylum seekers and refugees in the media has created negative attitudes due to the sustained inaccurate and often inflammatory reporting on asylum issues. 6. Asylum seekers are often accused of receiving significant welfare entitlements, taking jobs and given priority housing. However the reality is quite different. 7. Asylum seekers are not entitled council housing and are dispersed to areas of the UK where there is more availability of unused housing stock, on a no choice basis. 8. Asylum seekers do not get generous benefits. The great majority have to meet their food, clothing and other essential living needs on just over 5 a day. 9. Asylum seekers are not permitted to work to support themselves. 10. Refugees have successfully settled and made a significant contribution to the UK for many centuries. This was true for Uganda or more recently the Bosnians and Kosovans who fled the Balkans. 15
Slide 16 Activity: True or False This slide briefly discusses the geographic hotspots of where the majority of refugees reside in the world. This has been taken statements, which aim to embed the information covered in this session as well as address any misconceptions that the audience may have. You may wish to say the following: 1. hotspots on where there is the most movement of people. 2. You can observe from this map that the refugee population is highly concentrated in countries in the global south. This is important to distinguish as it is often portrayed in the developed world that the mass migration routes of refugees are towards Europe or North America, but the reality is clearly different. 3. Using this map and the information we have covered over this session I would now like you to tell me if the following statements are true or false. These statements will take in to account the global trends as well as UK trends. a) 25% of the world refugee population live in the developed world, i.e. UK, Germany and the USA. (Answer: False. 86% of refugee live in the developing world. Developed countries host only 14% of the global refugee population.) b) The majority of refugees who flee their countries live in refugee camps in neighbouring countries. (Answer: True. Pakistan was host to the largest number of refugees worldwide (1.6 million), followed by the Islamic Republic of Iran (857,400), Lebanon (856,500), Jordan (641,900), and Turkey (609,900), these countries neighbour the two largest source countries, Afghanistan and Syria.) c) There are more asylum seekers than refugees in the world. (Answer: False. There are more refugees (16.7 million) than asylum seekers (1.6 million). d) Refugees make up 10% of the UK population. (Answer: False. At the end of 2013, the number of refugees, pending asylum cases and stateless persons in the UK made up just 0.23% of the population. That accounts for 126,055 refugees, 23,070 pending asylum cases and 205 stateless persons.) 16
e) Asylum Seekers do not have the right to work in the UK. (Answer: True. The majority of asylum seekers do not have the right to work in the United Kingdom and rely on asylum support of 36.62 per person, per week, which makes it 5.23 a day for food, clothing and pursuing their asylum claim. Although housing is provided, asylum seekers cannot choose where it is, and are often living in ouncil tenants do not want to live in.) f) The majority of refugees in the world are children. (Answer: True. 50% of refugees are under the age of 18. 46% are aged 18 to 59 and 4% are 60 years and over. 17
Slide 17: Mohammed s Story This slide gives testimony from a Syrian refugee, describing his experience on 11 October 2013 when the boat he was on sank 70 miles off Lampedusa, Italy. If you wish you may choose to finish by taking some questions from the audience and could use the FAQ sheet provided in the pack, to help you with answering these questions. You may say the following: 1. I would like to finish with the testimony of Mohammed, Syrian Refugee, describing his experience on 11 October 2013 when the boat he was on sank 70 miles off the coast Lampedusa, an Italian island. 2. When the boat sank, I could not find my friends. I was asking: where are they? Then I found Omar, but another friend was nowhere to be found. I tried to help others, but could not. Omar and I helped each other, but it was difficult to swim for hours. In the water, everyone was looking for family and friends. 3. This is often the harsh reality that thousands of refugees face every year. One message that is extremely important for us to share with our governments and peers is that refugees have protected status under international law and more should be done to ensure that their rights are protected. 4. Does anyone have any questions? 18
Slide 18: Resources This final slide gives useful websites for further information and resources. You may also wish to share the 19