HIV+ Ugandan Refugee Stays

posted: 11/02/2011

A Ugandan refugee with HIV managed to avoid being deported by refusing to board the plane at Heathrow early this week. Jamal Ali Said – who is HIV positive, claims he's gay and has lived in the UK for fifteen years – was due to be sent back to Uganda on Monday evening.

Jamal says he is at serious risk of persecution - potentially murder. His deportation was arranged barely two weeks after the Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato was brutally murdered, following a media campaign there that urged Ugandans to kill gay people.

Speaking from Campsfield detention centre in Oxfordshire, Jamal said he was "very frightened" because of "how they treat you in Uganda if you have HIV, if you are a gay man."

Deportation, despite Supreme Court ruling

According to Jamal’s lawyer, his application for refugee protection was refused, before the Supreme Court made a landmark decision for gay asylum seekers last year. The Supreme Court ruled that gay asylum seekers should be granted refugee status if being sent home would mean they would be forced to hide their sexuality – having to hide your sexuality breaches your human right to live a private life.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, Jamal’s solicitor made a fresh application for asylum quoting the Supreme Court, but this was also refused.

Credit where credit's due - we have to thank the first woman Supreme Court Justice, Lady Hale (a former Manchester barrister and university law lecturer), for her wisdom and championing of the human rights of refused gay asylum seekers. In a recent BBC4 documentary on the Supreme Court, she talked about this landmark case, the different life perspectives women bring to the courts as judges, and her persuasion of the other judges to agree with her pioneering judgement. 

You can read about this recent BBC4 programme 'Justice Makers' and watch some clips here.  

Uganda Parliament and death for HIV sex 

Homosexuality is punishable by up to 14 years in prison in Uganda, but a bill before the parliament would impose the death penalty on people with HIV who have sex.

Jamal is being held in Brook House Immigration Centre, near Heathrow, while the UK Border Agency decides whether to attempt to deport him again.
 

Source

Destination Unknown Success

posted: 14/06/2010

George House Trust held a Refugee Week event on Saturday called Destination Unknown at Manchester Museum. This was a powerful and thought provoking exhibition of photographs and digital stories put together by the African HIV Policy Network, followed by a lively debate about the theme of the exhibition: is it inhumane to deport people living with HIV who are on treatments to countries where these treatments are not accessible?

During Refugee Week there are other events in NW England

12th - 19th June 2010
Swot up on your refugee history at the Imperial War Museum North, Salford Quays  Bring out the artist in your kids with family workshops or explore the British history of sanctuary, through guided tours.
Escape to Safety  Ever wondered what it feels like to flee your country? Then pop down to Swinton Precinct and immerse yourself in an interactive multi-media experience that puts you in the shoes of someone seeking sanctuary. Monday 14 to Friday 18 June, 9.30am to 5.30pm Swinton Precinct Shops, Unit 9-11
Meet the Scientist Refugee Week Special  If experiments, mind-bending theories and mad professors are your thing, come and rub brain cells with refugee scientists at the Museum of Science and Industry. Saturday 19 June, 11.30am - 2.30pm, Museum of Science and Industry, Liverpool Road, Castlefield, Manchester 

Refugee World Cup
Sixteen football teams featuring players from all over the world will take part in a Refugee World Cup on Saturday 26 June, 10am–4pm, Salford Sports Village, Littleton Road, Salford M7 3NQ.
Teams including refugees, asylum seekers and British-born players will go head to head in the Seven-a-Side Refugee World Cup Shield.
A fun-packed day of football! Come down and cheer on the teams!
For information and to register please contact Belay Kahsay on 1061 202 8915 or email
 

More Refugee Week events in NW England including at Liverpool, Bolton and Blackburn

Refugee Week

Simple Acts - do something to show you care in Refugee Week

UK 'welcoming' for Asylum Seekers
A rare survey of the views asylum seekers and refugees in the UK today finds the majority say British people are welcoming, and their most admired UK figures as the Queen, Princess Diana and David Beckham. The charity Refugee Action published the findings to mark the start of Refugee Week today, shows that what most enjoy best about living in Britain are the people, football, the multicultural society and British television.
 

When asked which characteristics they thought best represented the British people the most popular answers were "friendly", "polite", and "obsessed with football". A quarter of refugees and asylum seekers also see the British as "hard working" and "kind" with only 10% describing them as "reserved" or "complaining". More than half the 327 refugees and asylum seekers interviewed by polling experts Ipsos Mori said they either "strongly agreed" or "tended to agree" the average British person welcomes refugees to the UK.
 

Human rights and freedom of speech
Refugees in the survey say what they most value about living in Britain are human rights and freedom of speech, with a safe society coming a strong third. Half of those surveyed had refugee status and half were asylum seekers waiting for a decision on their claim living across Britain from a range of countries including Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Afghanistan.
 

Peter Yoak, a refugee from Sudan who lives in Greater Manchester, told Refugee Action: "I find that most British people I meet are welcoming, friendly and polite. Of course you find a couple who are not like that but that is the same everywhere. As a nation though, I think Brits are tolerant and kind. The Queen is a respected public figure the world over and I am a big admirer of hers," said Yoak. "I am also a huge Beckham fan because he is an ambassador for British football and will lead the country's campaign for England to host the 2018 England World Cup. He is also a good family man."
 

More understanding needed
However, 45% felt that British people could be more understanding about why they had fled their home country and 19% said they would feel more welcome if people smiled or said hello in the street.
Jill Roberts, Refugee Action's chief executive, said: "This is a very positive poll and challenges a number of perceptions of the refugee experience in the UK. It's clear that whatever issues remain in relation to public policy, the day-to-day experience of individual asylum seekers is broadly defined by public tolerance and acceptance, not suspicion or hostility. Refugees obviously continue to face significant challenges, but the fact that they find British people so welcoming is hugely encouraging."
 

Media misinformation misleads 1 in 4 Britons
An ICM poll for the British Red Cross for Refugee Week shows one in four British people still believe asylum seekers come to the UK to claim benefits. The ICM survey of the British public show 57% believe asylum seekers receive up to £100 a week in vouchers to cover their living expenses, when the truth is that people only receive accommodation and vouchers worth £35 a week, well below the basic level of Income Support.
Source  
 

Refugee Week Events

posted: 25/05/2010

As part of Refugee Week, George House Trust  exhibited Destination Unknown at the Manchester Museum on Saturday 12th June.

Destination Unknown is a powerful and thought provoking exhibition of photographs and digital stories put together by the African HIV Policy Network. This was followed by panel debate drawing on the themes of the exhibition: is it inhumane to deport people living with HIV who are on treatments to countries where these treatments are not accessible?

Other Refugee Week events in NW England 12th - 19th June 2010
 

Swot up on your refugee history at the Imperial War Museum North, Salford Quays. Bring out the artist in your kids with family workshops or explore the British history of sanctuary, through guided tours.
 

Escape to Safety Ever wondered what it feels like to flee your country? Then pop down to Swinton Precinct and immerse yourself in an interactive multi-media experience that puts you in the shoes of someone seeking sanctuary. Monday 14 to Friday 18 June, 9.30am to 5.30pm Swinton Precinct Shops, Unit 9-11
 

Meet the Scientist Refugee Week Special If experiments, mind-bending theories and mad professors are your thing, come and rub brain cells with refugee scientists at the Museum of Science and Industry. Saturday 19 June, 11.30am - 2.30pm, Museum of Science and Industry, Liverpool Road, Castlefield, Manchester 
 

Refugee World Cup
Sixteen football teams featuring players from all over the world will take part in a Refugee World Cup on Saturday 26 June, 10am–4pm, Salford Sports Village, Littleton Road, Salford M7 3NQ.
Teams including refugees, asylum seekers and British-born players will go head to head in the Seven-a-Side Refugee World Cup Shield.
A fun-packed day of football! Come down and cheer on the teams!
For information and to register please contact Belay Kahsay on 1061 202 8915 or email  

More Refugee Week events in NW England including at Liverpool, Bolton and Blackburn

Simple Acts - do something to show you care in Refugee Week

Asylum - Human Rights Ignored

posted: 09/03/2010

A new report for the Equalities and Human Rights Commission lays bare the UK government’s abuse of the human rights of asylum seekers and refugees living here, including many who are living with HIV. People seeking sanctuary in Britain are denied vital healthcare whether they are in detention centres or living in the community, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has found. Hundreds of rape victims, people living with HIV, and traumatised children are missing out on treatment and basic medical help.
 

Institutional failures

The report, from the University of Kent, warns "There is evidence of an institutional failure to address health concerns about asylum seekers in detention. More specifically there are concerns about children's health, mental health, treatment for those with HIV and access to female GPs, especially for women who have suffered rape and sexual violence."
 

Asylum and medical charity workers said the findings confirmed the experience of hundreds of refugees. A spokeswoman for Medical Justice said: "Sadly and unsurprisingly, findings of these failures accord with what our volunteer doctors have been seeing on the hundreds of occasions they have visited immigration detainees and seen their medical notes."
 

Time for action

This EHRC report sets out problems of poor treatment of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. There are some serious failings. We’ll be checking to see what action the Commission now takes to end the government’s mistreatment and denial of people’s human rights.

HIV, health and social care
Inadequate HIV healthcare is one of the points highlighted in the healthcare section of the report. There are specific concerns around vulnerable groups. For women asylum seekers and refugees there is evidence of poor antenatal care and pregnancy outcomes. There is little evidence of the commissioning of services for disabled asylum seekers (such as everyone with HIV) and no clear guidance exists on local authority responsibilities towards asylum seekers with care needs. Mental health problems including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety are prevalent among asylum seekers and refugees, and the provision of mental health services for survivors of torture and organised violence is widely regarded as inadequate.
 

The vulnerability and ill health of asylum-seeking and refugee children is an area of particular concern, as are the health needs of older refugees. There are also concerns around the provision of healthcare to asylum seekers in detention with communicable diseases and with HIV/AIDS.
 

Poverty, destitution and access to accommodation and financial support
Asylum seekers are vulnerable to poverty and destitution (defined as not having adequate accommodation or support for themselves and their dependants for the next 14 days) as a result of a number of factors. These include: the circumstances in which they and their dependants arrive in the UK (often without money or accommodation), the complexity of the rules for entitlement to financial and other support for asylum seekers and those refused asylum, the occurrence of administrative and casework errors, and the fact that the vast majority of asylum seekers do not have permission to work.

Evidence indicates that refused asylum seekers are the most disadvantaged group and evidence of destitution appears to run counter to Section 11 of Chapter 42 of the Human Rights Act 1988 and Council Directive 2003/9/EC.
 

Care needs gaps
Asylum seekers with care needs are particularly vulnerable to poverty and to falling through the gaps between Home Office and social services support. Other vulnerable groups include single women and those with children.
 

There are concerns about the specific requirements that asylum seekers must meet when lodging a claim in order to be eligible for support. The incompatibility of the Section 55 and 9 provisions with Articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) remains a key concern, as do the conditions that asylum seekers must comply with in order to receive Section 4 support. Complex issues surround the provision of support for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, and there are doubts as to whether the UK’s responsibilities under domestic legislation and international human rights principles are being fulfilled.
 

Key issues for action now by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission
There is an ongoing tension between policies relating to immigration control and those concerned with welfare. This lies at the heart of many of the concerns regarding the equality and human rights of asylum seekers and refugees.

• Processes for removal involving detention and deportation have been the subject of sustained criticism on human rights grounds.
• Living conditions and support received by asylum seekers and refugees in the UK also cause concern. There are general inefficiencies within the system: many people do not know or understand the process, and receive different and conflicting advice from different agencies. On accommodation and support, the impact of the Section 55 and Section 9 provisions has been of considerable concern and, despite various clarifications and revisions by the government, may continue to have an adverse impact on asylum seekers. The quality of housing remains problematic and in some instances appears to conflict with the respect for family and home required by Article 8 of the ECHR.
• There is evidence of problems of access to healthcare. There is a serious lack of clarity with respect to the healthcare entitlements of asylum seekers and this feeds into confusion at ground level.
• Policies and practices within the asylum system covering the seven equality areas, as well as the treatment of vulnerable groups, also cause concern. The provisions put in place by UKBA in order to meet its legal requirements to take gender, race and disability into account have been criticised, and there is clearly a need for more rigorous and widespread equality impact assessments of the various aspects of the asylum system. Furthermore, less consideration is given to those equality areas not subject to the current equality duties. Ideally, the introduction of a new single equality duty covering all seven strands should help to initiate consideration of the issues affecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans asylum seekers, as well as those of different ages and with different religion or beliefs.

EHRC report (pdf) - Refugees and asylum seekers : a review from an equality and human rights perspective

Source 
Equality and Human Rights Commission

Refugees and Housing

posted: 20/01/2010

Refugees in Manchester can have their say about the housing-related support needs that should be included in the new five year Supporting People strategy for the city of Manchester. There is a consultation meeting in Hulme, Manchester on Tuesday 9 February in the afternoon.

The housing-related support needs that refugees identify will directly affect what services will be provided for the next five years.

Where, when

The consultation with refugees is on Tuesday 9th Feb at 2.30pm and will be held at

The Routes Project, Unit 1 and 2, Cornbrook Enterprise Centre, 70 Quenby Street, Hulme, Manchester, M15 4HW.
Map and directions here 

You need to book a place and they only have space for 10 people.

Travel expenses and shopping voucher
They will pay travel expenses and give people who attend a £5 ASDA voucher.

As well as this focus group for up to 10 people, the consultant running the meeting can talk to people individually after the group session instead if you prefer.

Booking a place
You need to book a place – there is space for only 10 people
To book a place contact Jen Richardson at The Routes Project
Email or phone Jen on 0161 835 3393.

Manchester Supporting People website