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destitute asylum seeker in toilet

Destitution is not a solution

“Destitution. It sounds as if people have been put in the bin and are scavenging. It makes me sound like an animal. Perhaps that is what I am now. All I am.”

Rose, 67 year old woman from Zimbabwe

Refugee Action interviewed people in eight cities across the UK for its Destitution Trap report. They were living on the streets, sleeping in phone boxes, on park benches, or on the floors of friends, and picking through bins to eat. They had no access to support nor permission to work.

How did they end up in this situation? In most cases, they have sought asylum in this country in good faith, but their claim has been refused. They are then left alone and without support to deal with the strain of deciding whether and how they can safely return to the country from which they fled – countries like Sudan, Zimbabwe, or Iraq. Most are terrified of doing so.

Left in this limbo, unable to work, go home, or receive support, people are forced to rely on charity handouts and the generosity of friends.

This is not an accident of government policy but its direct result.

Who becomes destitute?

Lillian was involved in political opposition to an unstable, oppressive regime. She fled to the UK after her fellow activists were beaten by the police, and claimed asylum.

Her application for asylum was refused; the Home Office didn’t dispute her evidence but said she was not senior enough in the opposition movement to be under personal threat if she went back.

The UK recently described the human rights violations in her country as ‘grotesque’. She is committed to rebuilding her country once the regime falls, but believes that she would be arrested if she returns there now and has remained here.

Refugee Action and the Still Human Still Here coalition believe that it does not make sense to make people like Lillian destitute when they clearly cannot return. Why not give those who cannot return to dangerous countries temporary status and allow them to work until it is safe to return?

Who becomes destitute?

Sara was 26 when she came to the UK and claimed asylum having come from deeply impoverished circumstances.

Her life was not at immediate risk in her home country. Her asylum claim was rejected but she is not a priority for forced removal and the Government believes she should return of her own accord. So far she has chosen to live destitute in the UK.

Despite Sara’s desperate circumstances in her home country, Refugee Action and Still Human Still Here recognise that a process of identifying people who need protection here will also identify those who do not. However, making people destitute has been shown to be ineffective in encouraging people to leave. A voluntary sector caseworker working closely with Sara from the start of the process could help her make an informed and genuinely voluntary decision to leave safely and with dignity.

Who becomes destitute?

Ibrahim was an opposition activist in Darfur. He fled after experiencing violent attacks on his family and threats by armed men because of political activities at the university where he worked. His pregnant wife was beaten so badly she lost their baby and his sister was raped in front of him.

He arrived in the UK and had his initial asylum claim refused for lack of evidence after receiving poor legal advice. He was destitute and chose to sleep in railway stations and on the streets rather than return to Sudan. Months later he got proper legal advice, put in a fresh claim and was granted refugee status.

Refugee Action and Still Human Still Here believe that some people have protection needs that are not met straightaway by the asylum system. In the absence of a perfect system people should not face destitution in the UK at any stage in the asylum process.

Our recommendations

Forcing people into abject poverty makes them less likely to return home. Their lives turn into a struggle for survival, with all energy going into finding places to sleep and food to eat.

We are calling for:

1) Humanitarian Protection to be granted to people escaping “serious and individual threat to a civilian’s life or person by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict” (from article 15c of the European Union Qualification Directive). Last year, only 55 people were granted Humanitarian Protection because of very narrow criteria applied.

2) the government to maintain support and contact with refused asylum seekers, helping them to:

Understand why their asylum claim has been refused
Give them time to think, prepare and plan ahead
Ensure that they have fully explored all legal and migration options
Where no other options are available, engage in humane, dignified and supported voluntary return, avoiding the need for detention or forced removal.

Download The Destitution Trap

To see our full recommendations and research into destitution among refused asylum seekers in the UK download The Destitution Trap:

Full report (1.8 mb)
Briefing (1 mb)
Executive Summary and Recommendations

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