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Refugee Action urges UK government to protect Darfuri asylum seekers

13 September 2007

THIS SUNDAY 15 September sees the world come together for the Global Day for Darfur. But Darfuri asylum seekers who have managed to escape the humanitarian crisis in Sudan are struggling to survive in the UK.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has urged governments to grant international protection to Sudanese asylum seekers of non-Arab ethnic background. Yet last year the UK refused asylum to 88 per cent of the 670 Sudanese who sought safety here.

Most had their appeals dismissed and were evicted from their accommodation. They now find themselves on the margins of society, with no recourse to support, and no right to work. Terrified of returning home, they consider starving and sleeping on the streets of Britain to be the lesser of two evils.

Ibrahim, a teacher from Darfur, lived in destitution in Manchester for six months before he came to Refugee Action for help. He was forced to live on food handouts from the Red Cross and sleep rough at the train station, due to a government policy that denies support to refused asylum seekers unless they agree to return.

It is time that the government recognised that rigid policies cannot be applied across the board to refused asylum seekers. Granting temporary, renewable leave to remain in cases like Ibrahim’s would allow people like him to support themselves and regain their dignity until such time as it is safe for them to return home.

Sandy Buchan
Chief Executive,
Refugee Action

Ends

Notes:

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 support their
settlement through community development work. 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 and advised more than 40,000 asylum seekers and refugees last year. Actors for Refugees is supported through Refugee Action's Refugee Awareness Project, which aims to increase public understanding of asylum through workshops, talks and other local events.