REFUGEES and ASYLUM SEEKERS Getting the story straight in 2016 1
Photo: Simon Rawles/BRC THE RED CROSS and refugees The British Red Cross has a long tradition of supporting vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers, after they flee trauma and persecution. We are now the biggest single provider of this support in the UK reaching out to more than 13,000 people every year, in 60 towns and cities. We help these people adjust to life here in a number of ways: from providing emergency food and clothing, to giving friendly advice to those settling in a new, unfamiliar place. 2 3
ASYLUM SEEKER > flees their home > arrives in another country, whichever way they can > makes themselves known to the authorities > submits an asylum application > has a legal right to stay in the country while awaiting a decision. REFUGEE > has proven to the authorities that they would be at risk if returned to their home country > has had their claim for asylum accepted by the government > can now stay here either long-term or indefinitely. Photo: BRC WHAT DO THE TERMS MEAN? REFUSED ASYLUM SEEKER > has been unable to prove that they would face persecution back home > has been denied protection by the authorities > must now leave the country, unless they wish to appeal the decision or there are legitimate reasons why they cannot yet return home. ECONOMIC MIGRANT > has moved to another country to work > could be legally or illegally resident, depending on how they entered the country > may or may not have a legal work permit. 4 5
FACTS not FEAR Most of the world s refugees don t flee to Europe, let alone the UK. Only live here. 1% Number of applications for asylum made to European countries in 2015: Photo: Jose Cendon/IFRC Do these sound familiar? They should: they are all real British newspaper headlines. For years now, those who come to the UK seeking shelter receive a largely negative press. We want to give people the right information and encourage more balanced reporting. Let s get the story straight. In 2015 over one million people came to Europe to seek refuge. However, the UK received only 38,878 applications for asylum* (including dependents). In 2015 just 39% of asylum applications made in the UK were granted at the initial decision stage*. Many people are initially refused because it is difficult to provide the evidence needed to prove they are a refugee. UK 38,878* France 78,000** Sweden 163,000** Germany 431,000** Austria 81,000** Hungary 163,000** Italy 78,000** *Home Office Immigration Statistics Summary (October - December 2015) 6 **Home Office Immigration Statistics on Asylum, Section 6 (October- December 2015). 7
THE WORLD S refugees More than half of refugees came from just three countries: Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia. The fiveyear conflict in Syria has swelled recent figures The countries shown in black produced the highest number of refugees. The countries shown in red hosted the most refugees. Turkey 1.84 million* Lebanon 1.2 million* Syria 4.2 million* Afghanistan 2.6 million* Iran 982,000* Pakistan 1.5 million* In 2015, the number of people forced to flee their homes because of violence and conflict exceeded 60 million*. This is the largest displacement of people since the Second World War. However, most people don t come to Europe. They either stay inside their country (making them internally displaced ) or flee over the nearest border. Last year there were an estimated 15 million* refugees worldwide. Refugees are people who have sought refuge outside their country of origin. Developing countries host over 80% of the world s refugees. Sudan 640,900* South Sudan 744,000* Ethiopia 702,500* Somalia 1.1 million* Photo: Jose Cendon/IFRC *UNHCR mid-year trends report 2015 8 9
The British Red Cross helps over 9,000 destitute asylum seekers and refugees every year. Photo: Simon Rawles/BRC DESTITUTION The British Red Cross helps over 9,000 destitute asylum seekers and refugees every year. They suffer from problems including lack of food, housing, money and poor health. Half of the destitute refugees and asylum seekers we saw in 2015 were penniless through no fault of their own due to administration problems in the asylum system. Every year, thousands of asylum seekers and refugees find themselves cut off from government support and unable to meet even essential living needs. The government should remove the delays and errors in the asylum system that leave people destitute. Many refugees and asylum seekers come to us for basics such as food and clothes. Many have children. The government should ensure that people receive adequate housing and support throughout the asylum process, from beginning to end. We want to see an effective and efficient asylum system that treats people with humanity, ends destitution, and upholds the UK s responsibilities to refugees. 10 11
Only 23% were granted refugee status following the conclusion of their case.* Photo: Simon Rawles/BRC 766 asylum applicants had their age disputed* In 2015, there were 3,043 applications from unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (an increase of 56% on 2014)*. YOUNG REFUGEES in the UK A number of young asylum seekers have their ages disputed by the Home Office and/or social services. Unable to provide birth certificates as proof of age, some children are initially assessed as being over 18, leaving them to navigate the asylum system alone. These vulnerable children may arrive in Britain without any family only to be processed as adults. They then face the unsettling prospect of sharing accommodation with adults who are strangers to them. This makes them vulnerable to abuse. We believe that every asylumseeking child who has been separated from their family should have someone to help them. *Home Office Immigration Statistics Summary (October - December 2015) 12 13
FAMILY REUNION Photo: UNP BRC The criteria for reuniting refugee families is restrictive and limited. Under UK and international law adult refugees have a legal right to be reunited with their partner and children but only if their children are under 18. Children over 18 are not allowed to join their parents in the UK, and unaccompanied refugee children are not allowed to sponsor their parents to join them. Many refugees cannot afford to exercise this right because they can t afford legal help. Since April 2013, legal aid funding has not been available for family reunion in England and Wales. Of the people using our family reunion service, 95% thought it would be very difficult to apply for family reunion without legal support. The government should fund family reunion cases and make the application form easier to understand and complete. 14 Family members often have to cross borders to lodge a family reunion application at their nearest British embassy, sometimes risking their lives. In 2014, 51% of families helped by the Red Cross were at risk of violence, torture or harassment while applying for family reunion. We helped 39 refugees obtain visas for 95 family members in 2015. Our travel assistance programme helped 375 refugees reunite with 1,179 family members in 2015. 15
There is no life in Syria anymore. Photo: Islam Mardini/SARC SLEMAN S STORY I m one of the lucky ones Not too long ago, Sleman was finishing his studies as an engineer in food sciences at the University of Aleppo. He was thinking about his career and potential next steps like any young person in the first flush of adulthood. But then war broke out in Syria and everything changed. In 2012, Sleman was forced to flee his country at 24 years old. I was helping my people by volunteering with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC). I was offering help and medical support to those hurt during demonstrations. Different groups started chasing and threatening me just because I was part of the humanitarian aid. I had to run away. Sleman ended up in the UK and claimed asylum straight away. He also found a British Red Cross office, to see if he could volunteer. Now a refugee, and allowed to stay here until 2018, Sleman calls himself lucky. I m lucky that I can contact my father and mother once or twice a month, he explains. Every time I ring them, my father says he wants to die. There is no life in Syria, anymore. That is why Sleman is rebuilding his life in the UK. He wants to carry on studying. He also wants to keep volunteering and helping people. He says: I like to help people. I know what it is like to need that help from someone. 16 17
MARIE S STORY My life starts today I had to get my children out of danger Photographer: Paul Conroy In April 2011, government forces attacked Marie s home in the Ivory Coast all because of her father s friendship with the former president. Marie jumped out of a window, barely missing a bullet, which caught the side of her knee. Her house was burnt down: an attack that killed her father and injured her siblings. Fearing for her life, Marie had to escape in secret. She left behind two children, Erica (9) and Adrian (7), who were in another part of town. Once she got refugee status in the UK, Marie turned to the British Red Cross to guide her quickly through family reunion. The same people that came for my father were looking for my children too. I had to get them out of danger, she says. In March 2015, Marie finally met her children at Manchester Airport after four long years apart. It s been so hard, Marie reflects, as she anxiously waits for her children to walk through the arrivals gate. I can go without money, I can go without food, but I need my kids. It s like your breath. She finally feels she can look forward to the future. I m fighting. I want to work, I want my children to be happy and have a good life. My life starts today. 18 19
British Red Cross 44 Moorfields London EC2Y 9AL Tel: 0844 871 1111 Fax: 020 7562 2000 redcross.org.uk Published in 2016 Cover photo @ Mirva Helenius (Finnish Red Cross) The British Red Cross Society, incorporated by Royal Charter 1908, is a charity registered in England and Wales (220949), Scotland (SC037738) and Isle of Man (0752). Email production@redcross.org.uk Tel 020 7877 7029