Or is it a Refugee Crisis Migrants or refugees Migrants usually have choices refugees dont no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark you have to understand that no one puts their children in a boat ID: 358562
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Slide1
The EU Migrant Crisis
Or is it a Refugee Crisis? Slide2
Migrants or refugees? Slide3
Migrants usually have choices, refugees don’t
no one leaves home unless
home is the mouth of a
shark
. . . .
you have to understand,that no one puts their children in a boatunless the water is safer than the landExtract from ‘Home’ by Warsan ShireSlide4
The Humanitarian Crisis in Europe Slide5Slide6
The Flight of RefugeesSlide7
Main destinations
85% of refugees live in this areaSlide8
SYRIAN DISPLACEMENT
About 11.6 million Syrians have been displaced, nearly
half of
Syria’s entire population. Most of them are scattered
within Syria
, but 3.9 million were living abroad by the end of 2014 – nearly all of them in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.Slide9
Despite the drama of migrants trying to cross the
Mediterranean to
reach Europe, most Africans displaced by conflict stay in Africa.Slide10Slide11
Background to the humanitarian crisis in Europe summer of 2015
Mare Nostrum – search and rescue disbanded in Jan 15 – policy failed
Highest flow of refugees since the second world war ( half a million)
Arab Spring – 2011 and backlash –
Yemen
, Egypt, Libya, Syria – one fifth of current refugees Repressive regime in Eritrea, ongoing genocide in Darfur, sectarian regime and ISIS in Iraq, return of Taliban in Afghanistan, Boko Haram in Nigeria UNHCR Refugee camps – ill prepared, undersupplied - loss of hope Greek islands ( recession akin to Great Depression)Slide12
A world crisis of historic proportions
Source: United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees
2014
59.5 million forcibly displaced people due to conflict 14 million newly displaced in 2014 10 million stateless people 1.7 million claimed asylum 26 countries admitted 105,200 refugees for resettlement
At the end of 2014, almost 55 million people depended on the protection and assistance of UNHCR and partners
.Slide13
Iconic photo that caught our attentionSlide14
Syrian Crisis
Over 4 million refugees
Nearly 8 million displaced inside Syria
Over 12 million in Syria needing humanitarian assistance Slide15Slide16
Summer 2015
Germany announces welcome to all Syrian refugees (800,000)
Chaos and border controls (opening and closing)
Suspension of the EU's
Schengen zone
Demands for an EU wide asylum system Quotas and fair share (the formula based on population, GDP, previous asylum applications and unemployment)Lack of consensusRising of walls, razer wire fences, teargassing, water cannons Cameron agrees to accept 20,000 Syrians over 5 years, £100m into camps #refugeeswelcome
Calaidipedia
Slide17
Interactive map from International Organisation for Migration
World MigrationSlide18
The facts about
asylum – Definitions
Refugee
“A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality
and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.”
The 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of RefugeesIn the UK, a person is officially a refugee when they have their claim for asylum accepted by the government.Asylum SeekerA person who has left their country of origin and formally applied for asylum in another country but whose application has not yet been concluded.Slide19
The facts about
asylum
–
Definitions
Refused asylum seekerA person whose asylum application has been unsuccessful and who has no other claim for protection awaiting a decision. Some refused asylum seekers voluntarily return home, others are forcibly returned and for some it is not safe or practical for them to return until conditions in their country change.‘Illegal’ immigrantSomeone whose entry into or presence in a country contravenes immigration laws. (cf. Article 31) Economic migrantSomeone who has moved to another country to work. Refugees are not economic migrants
.
All are people Slide20Slide21Slide22Slide23Slide24Slide25Slide26Slide27
UK comparison with JordanSlide28Slide29
Will today’s refugee crisis become the
holocaust of our generation?
How do we want history to remember us?
What are we doing in the UK to support those in the refugee camps, the countries that host them
and the EU countries in the front line? What are we doing to support and welcome asylum seekers who are already here? Slide30
Overcoming our fears
We haven’t any room
Lebanon hosting 1.5 million refugees and same size as Cornwall / Japan same size but 4 x the population / only 9% of land occupied in UK
Not enough jobs
Jobs increased when immigration increased
Not enough houses Yes, we need to invest and build more – for all of us, not just refugees We should solve UK problems firstWe are one of the richest in the word and our problems don’t compare to Greece or Syria or Lebanon or so many other countries. Our economy won’t cope We need more young people for our economy due to our aging demographic Slide31
Overcoming our fears
They are a burden on our economy
On the contrary many research studies from around the world have
found that welcoming refugees has a positive or at least a neutral effect on a host community's economy and wages
.
Once settled, refugees add more value to the economy each year than the entire original cost of receiving and resettling them.Refugees create new jobs, and even raise the wages of nativesRefugees help increase specialisation of work including the upgrading of native workers jobs and wages Migrants are more likely to be a worker in the NHS than a patient Refugee children make a positive contribution to schools ( Ofsted 2013) The more efficient processing and integration of refugees the quicker the return Slide32
Overcoming our Fears
Islamification
of Europe
If we accept 4m Muslims EU ratio of 4% Muslim will rise to 5%
High birth rates
Not borne out be the facts or research (birth rates drop with education and increased standard of living, low birth rate amongst Syrians, mostly highly educated) CrimeLess likely than native population / own home grown terrorists Collapse of social systems Unlikely - we have the infrastructure and capacity to plan/ aging demographic Slide33
Overcoming our fears
“They are a security threat”
Effective measures already in place
Stringent background checks are made
Many extremists in Middle East are from Europe with EU passports We have our own home grown terroristsWell organised terrorist groups would not send their fighters on dangerous journeys when they have the means to use safe legal routes. Slide34
Demographic Crisis in Europe -
Source
Financial Times
Old- age dependency ratio growing
(no of young people needed to support older generation)
Europe needs 42 m more young people by 2020, 200m by 2040Jean-Claude Yuncker quota endorsed by Financial Times Refugees will become workers, producers, tax payers if policies allow them to Research shows more likely to create jobs and drive up wages “
Compassion makes good economic
sense,
xenophobia doesn’t
”
Leonid
BershidskySlide35
Three routes to refugee status in UK Slide36
A Complex Asylum ProcessSlide37
UK Asylum Journey involves
Families living at 50% below the poverty line
Insufficient benefits to maintain contact with solicitor
Shared, no choice accommodation, in hard to let properties managed by external contractors
Periods of
destitution between refusal and appeal and on gaining refugee status or refusal with no chance of returning to country of originDetention at any time – indefinite, no judicial oversight Possible deportation after many years building a family life Slide38
What can individuals do?
Political Action
Write to your Councillor, MP, MEP (writetothem.com)
Petitions (Government, 38 Degrees, change.org )
Destitution, detention, health care, dignity
Sanctuary in ParliamentDonate Major international charities including World Food ProgrammeDoctors of the World (for Calais) Local charities (Red Cross, Refugee Action, City of Sanctuary) VolunteerWelcoming and integrating BefriendingFundraising
Teaching English/conversation clubs
Calaidipedia.co.ukSlide39
What can
you
do
?
Work in your sector to learn and raise awareness
Health (maternity, mental health) Schools (inclusion, integration)FaithsArts (music, crafts, books, poems, sharing stories )SportsLGBTWomen Slide40
Core Principles of City of Sanctuary
Mainstream, grassroots movement – all sectors involved
Building bridges between ‘local people’ and refugees
Strengthening and broadening the support base for asylum seekers and refugees
Helping create a culture of hospitality and welcome
Celebrating the contribution of refugees to societyCreating and enhancing networks between key playerswww.cityofsanctuary.orgSlide41
Remember the person behind the figures