St . Augustine’s - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

St

. Augustine’s

Centre

Vicky Ledwidge

Vicky.Ledwidge@staugustinescentrehalifax.org.uk

www.staugustinescentrehalifax.org.uk

Twitter -

infostaugsSlide2

So what’s going on?

It’s complicated and the media aren’t helping

UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency)

say in 2015:

644,038 arrivals by sea

3150 dead or missing

84% of arrivals come from the world’s top 10 refugee-producing countries

20% children, 15% women, 65% menSlide3

So what’s going on?

Bottlenecks across migration routes

6000 now in the Jungle in Calais

Over 1 million displaced Syrians in refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan

Groundswell of public interest – but the media aren’t helping…..Slide4

Is terminology important?

It’s crucial

Different rights for different people depending on their status

Terms are not interchangeable

And – they’re people first and foremost!Slide5

Third country national

EEA national

Asylum seeker

Refugee

Undocumented migrant

A person from outside the European Economic Area

A person from a member state of the European Economic Area

A person who has applied for protection from persecution under the UN Convention and is awaiting a decision from the Home Office on this application

A person given permission to stay in the UK as a result of a process which began with a claim and/or assessment for protection under the UN Convention

A person who does not have permission from the Home Office to be in the UKSlide6

The Asylum Process

Who

is a refugee?

Article 1A of the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (known as the Refugee Convention or Geneva Convention) states that a refugee is someone who has a well-founded

fear

of being

persecuted

for one of the following convention reasons race, religion, nationality, political opinion, membership of a “particular social group” AND is outside their home country; AND the State is either unwilling or unable to protect them from the persecution.Who is an asylum seeker?Someone who has applied for protection in another country for the reasons above, and has not yet been given a decision.Slide7

Asylum Support

Bed in a room in a house

They don’t get to choose where they live

£5.27 a day on a pre-paid card

No access to cash

Heavily reliant on charities

People can get stuck in the system for a long timeSlide8

How do people end up on the streets?

Positive decision – can mean forced destitution:

28 days to leave their accommodation

Varying levels of support from local councils

Not enough time to sort out benefits, accommodation, and to become self sufficient

Negative

decision – can mean forced destitution:

21 days to leave their accommodationNo recourse to public fundsNot priority for nightsheltersLanguage is the prime barrier to accessing supportSlide9

So what can you do?

Sadly, not a lot.

Asylum seekers are likely to be linked to their local NACCOM charity if they are destitute OR will have a local G4S officer if they are still under their care.

Refugees will be trying to navigate the system

Educate yourselves on the situation in your local area, and link up to your local

NACCOM project -

http://naccom.org.uk

/ and national & regional agencies such as Refugee ActionRead, read and read some more from reputable sourcesUNCHRRed CrossBBC & Guardian (sometimes!)Slide10

What shouldn’t you do?

Nobody should give immigration advice to migrants unless they are qualified and registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC)

Some migrants suffer from poor advice giving (even if well-intentioned)

Start up any kind of outreach or projects without contacting your local ‘expert’ agencies

Assume people are the same