REFUGEES and ASYLUM SEEKERS

REFUGEES and
ASYLUM SEEKERS
Getting the story straight in 2016
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Photo: © Simon Rawles/BRC
The British Red Cross has a long tradition of supporting
vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers, after they flee
trauma and persecution.
THE RED CROSS
and refugees
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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.
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REFUGEE
> flees their home
> has proven to the
authorities that they would
be at risk if returned to their
home country
> 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.
WHAT DO THE
TERMS
MEAN?
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> has had their claim for
asylum accepted by the
government
> can now stay here either
long-term or indefinitely.
REFUSED ASYLUM SEEKER
ECONOMIC MIGRANT
> has been unable to
prove that they would face
persecution back home
> has moved to another
country to work
> 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.
Photo: © BRC
ASYLUM SEEKER
> could be legally or illegally
resident, depending on how
they entered the country
> may or may not have
a legal work permit.
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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.
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In 2015 over one million people
came to Europe to seek refuge.
However, the UK received only 38,878
applications for asylum* (including
dependents).
39%
In 2015 just
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.
Photo: © Jose Cendon/IFRC
FACTS not
FEAR
Most of the
world’s refugees
don’t flee to
Europe, let alone
the UK. Only 1%
live here.
Number of applications
for asylum made to
European countries
in 2015:
Sweden
163,000**
UK
38,878*
France
78,000**
Germany
431,000**
Austria
81,000** Hungary
163,000**
Italy
78,000**
*Home Office Immigration Statistics Summary (October - December 2015)
**Home Office Immigration Statistics on Asylum, Section 6 (October- December 2015).
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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*
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.
Last year there were an estimated 15
million* refugees worldwide. Refugees are
people who have sought refuge outside
their country of origin.
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Syria
4.2 million*
Iran
982,000*
Pakistan
1.5 million*
Sudan
640,900*
South
Sudan
744,000*
Ethiopia
702,500*
Somalia
1.1 million*
*UNHCR mid-year trends report 2015
Photo: © Jose Cendon/IFRC
However, most people don’t come
to Europe. They either stay inside
their country (making them ‘internally
displaced’) or flee over the nearest border.
Developing
countries host
over 80%
of the world’s
refugees.
Afghanistan
2.6 million*
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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.
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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.
Photo: © Simon Rawles/BRC
The British
Red Cross helps over 9,000
destitute asylum seekers and refugees every year.
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.
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Photo: © Simon Rawles/BRC
Only 23%
were granted
refugee status
following the
conclusion of
their case.*
In 2015,
there were 3,043 applications
from unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (an increase
of 56% on
2014)*.
766
asylum
applicants
had their age
disputed*
A number of young asylum seekers
have their ages disputed by the
Home Office and/or social services.
YOUNG
REFUGEES
in the UK
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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.
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.
These vulnerable children may arrive
in Britain without any family – only to
be processed as adults.
*Home Office Immigration Statistics Summary (October - December 2015)
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Photo: © UNP BRC
FAMILY
REUNION
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.
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.
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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.
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Photo: © Islam Mardini/SARC
There is no
life in Syria
anymore.
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
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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.”
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My life starts today
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.
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I had to get
my children
out of danger
Photographer: Paul Conroy
MARIE’S STORY
“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.”
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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