news > news releases

Embargoed until: 00.01, 20 October 2006

 

Plymouth refugees tell the truth about asylum

Friday 20 October 2006

The voices of refugees living in Plymouth are at the centre of a new awareness raising initiative aimed at improving community relations in the city.

Refugee Action and Plymouth City Council are launching a DVD that will be made available to local schools, community centre, workplaces and churches throughout the city. It tells in their own words the stories of two refugees who fled persecution in Cameroon and Iran. Both talk movingly of the situations they left behind and the welcome they have found in Plymouth.

The DVD is the culmination of two years’ work by Refugee Action Plymouth’s Refugee Awareness Project. The project sought to dispel myths about asylum seekers and refugees by giving presentations in the community that tell how and why people flee their countries and what happens to them in the UK.

At total of 58 presentations were given to more than 1,800 people in schools, community centres and workplaces.  About 90 per cent of those who took part said their attitude toward refugees had changed positively as a result. Impressed by the project’s effectiveness in reducing community tensions, Plymouth City Council agreed to fund the production of a DVD so that the project could reach an even wider audience.

To launch the initiative, Refugee Action will be joined on 20 October by City Councillor Nicky Wildy, herself the great-great granddaughter of Jewish refugees, and Dr Sheila Cassidy, a former prisoner of conscience who was tortured by the Pincochet regime in Chile.

Jane Robinson, Manager of Refugee Action Plymouth, explained:

“Asylum seekers and refugees have been living in Plymouth since the late 1990’s. Wars in the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East have forced many to flee for their lives. Although there are currently just 335 Home Office-supported asylum seekers in Plymouth, sadly they have sometimes faced misunderstanding and hostility. (see note 2)

“This has a very real impact on our clients, who tell us that they have a prevailing feeling of being isolated and excluded from local community life. Many are afraid of being harassed and are scared to meet local people.      “We hope this DVD will help make Plymouth more welcoming for refugees and asylum seekers and empower local people to better understand why refugees are here and what they have been through.”

Clr Nicky Wildy added: “ Our vision is that by 2020 Plymouth will be one of Europe's finest, most vibrant waterfront cities where an outstanding quality of life is enjoyed by everyone. This DVD can play an important role in dispelling many of the myths and misconceptions about refugees and asylum seekers. Everyone can make a special contribution to make our city creative, safe and prosperous."

The DVD features an introduction by staff and volunteers from Refugee Action, and was made with the help of Coleridge Productions during the summer of 2006. 

ENDS

The launch takes place on 20 October at the Respect Suite, Racial Equality Council, Prideaux Court, Palace Street, Plymouth.

For more information call Julia Ravenscroft, press officer at Refugee Action on 0161 2331956 or Stephen Rylance, head of communications, on 020 7654 7707 or 07810 757 752 (out of hours).

Notes:

1. Refugee Action is an independent, national charity working to enable refugees to build new lives in the UK.  We provide practical advice and assistance for newly arrived asylum seekers and long-term commitment to their settlement through community development work, and advises approximately 40,000 asylum seekers every year.  As one of the country’s leading agencies in the field, Refugee Action has 25 years’ experience in pioneering innovative work in partnership with refugees.

2. Asylum seekers supported in NASS as at the end of June 2006. Home Office Asylum Statistics, 2nd Quarter 2006, United Kingdom

back to news releases

back to top