Centre Vicky Ledwidge VickyLedwidgestaugustinescentrehalifaxorguk wwwstaugustinescentrehalifaxorguk Twitter infostaugs So whats going on Its complicated and the media arent helping ID: 625627
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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