For seventy years the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees has been very clear about who a refugee is;
“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.”
Refugee status should not need further clarification yet due to political and media obfuscation the specifics of the term has become confused with migration, especially with the added pejorative, ‘illegal’.
A person seeking asylum is not ‘illegal’. Any one fitting the above description has a right under the terms of the Convention to seek asylum in any signatory country, which includes the UK. The person seeking asylum must be in the UK in order to apply so generally this process begins either at the border point of entry or later with an application to the Home Office.
A person seeking asylum is not ‘illegal’ because they cross several countries to get to the UK. They can claim asylum in any country that is a signatory to the 1951 Convention. Most refugees who can choose a country of asylum do so based on family or colonial connections, language proficiency and the belief the chosen country is safe, tolerant and democratic.
A person seeking asylum is not ‘illegal’ because they enter the country by irregular means. There are no safe, legal routes for refugees to reach the UK. Refugees therefore have to resort to dangerous and difficult ways to reach safety. These methods do not exclude the right to claim asylum.
A person seeking asylum is not ‘illegal’ because their claim has been turned down. An unsuccessful claim does not mean the person has lied about their persecution or fear and it does not mean they are not deserving of asylum. The UK system is unnecessarily harsh with poor decision-making as standard so that most claims are rejected in the first instance. Of the claims rejected by the Home Office nearly 40% are overturned in the courts. Vulnerable and traumatised people seeking safety are caused further distress within the current system.
It is a prevailing myth that the UK is a popular country for refugees to come to because of state benefits or getting jobs. The reality is that those seeking asylum are not allowed to work or receive benefits of any kind. Any money they receive from the Home Office for subsistence is paltry- about £5 per day. Many refugees, therefore, live in poverty, unable to afford even the basics.
The UK is not a major destination for refugees. Only 1% of the worlds refugees are in the UK with asylum applicants making up less than a quarter of a percent of the UK population. The most likely countries to host refugees are ones that neighbour the refugee’s home country and are often developing countries. In Europe, the UK ranks 17th in terms of number of asylum applications per head of population, so not even a major refugee country in the continental area.
A staggering 42% of displaced people are children. Children separated from parents or guardians are particularly vulnerable to trafficking, sexual exploitation and forced labour. The UK received 2,756 applications for asylum from separated children in the last year.
Debunking these myths should not be necessary. The UK is a signatory of the 1951 Convention and as such should fulfil its obligation to to support those seeking safety from persecution, torture and violence.
‘…no one puts their children in a boat
unless the water is safer than the land’
These words are well known. I urge you to read the whole poem by Warsan Shire, a Somali-British poet.
https://medium.com/poem-of-the-day/warsan-shire-home-46630fcc90ab
Significantly Different 