Organisations rally against destitution at our AGM
The Scottish Refugee Council’s Annual General Meeting was hailed a success on Friday as supporters, refugees and refugee organisations packed in to City Halls to call on the UK government offer real protection to asylum seekers most in need and end the destitution they face.
We heard from Christina McKelvie MSP, Convenor of the European and External Affairs Committee at the Scottish Parliament, who called for greater action from the UK government on closing the protection gap.
She said: “It’s a real concern for people who are destitute and can’t return to their own home. What do you do? Where do you go for support? I think it’s important for any government, of any land to support someone in a vulnerable position.
I would urge the UK government to get in there and support these people. Let’s treat people like human beings.”
Mike Kaye, co-ordinator of the Still Human, Still Here destitution campaign gave an update about the campaign’s progress. He explained that while there have been incremental improvements to the levels of asylum seeker support, these have been limited. Even with these increases, asylum seekers still receive less than 70% of the benefits of those on income support.
Those on Section 4 support face further difficulties. Although the replacement of a voucher system with the Azure card can be viewed as an improvement, it is again slight. These cards restrict what people seeking asylum can buy, where they can shop and how much they can save. The Home Office reclaims a vast amount of money from people on Section 4 as any unspent money above £5 at the end of a given week becomes void. Still Human, Still Here campaigns for a cash-based support system.
Kaye said, “In order to end the destitution we need to provide a level of support to those who would otherwise be destitute, which is sufficient for them to meet their essential needs from the point of application to when their case is resolved.
To achieve this we need to address the misconceptions people have about asylum seekers and refugees in the UK. This includes people not being able to distinguish between those who come here to work, and those who arrive fleeing persecution and human rights violations. Many people think we get hundreds of thousands applications each year. In actual fact, in the last two years we’ve had less than 20,000.”
Also addressing the AGM was Patricia, a refugee from Congo Brazzaville. She was forced to flee Congo in 2003 after her family was targeted and killed for their political beliefs. She spent years in the UK, in and out of detention, and found herself facing long term destitution. She got involved with the Refugee Women’s Strategy Group (RWSG).
She said “The group [RWSG] helps women get information and advice about everything to do with asylum. It gives you strength. We have changed things, too.”
Patricia has now been given Leave to Remain in the UK and is planning to do her HNC in childcare in order to pursue a career as a nursery nurse. You can read her full story and others in our Annual Review 2011, now available on our website. Our Review also provides a summary of our income and expenditure.
