Red Cross Blogs

Asylum seekers: popular myths debunked

By Mark Cox
June 11, 2010 at 9:30 am

Life has been very tough on Mary.

As a Ugandan teenager, she was repeatedly raped and beaten, and had a child by her sexually abusive father. Her twin sister died, aged 13, following female genital mutilation and Mary herself contracted the HIV virus. Finally, her mother managed to put her on a flight to the UK – and was later beaten to death for allowing her to escape.

It’s hard to know where to even begin when describing such a joyless, unremitting story – there’s nothing in my cosy and contented life that can possibly compare to the bleakness of Mary’s story.

All of which makes the findings of a recent ICM poll commissioned by the Red Cross look a little dispiriting. As I read it, one by one the hoary old clichés come churning out. Asylum seekers come here to claim benefits; they’re just here to work illegally; they all get £100 a week to live on.

But such myths don’t tally with the picture we see at the Red Cross. We help hundreds of people each year who have been forced to flee their countries in fear of their lives, often leaving beloved family members behind. A large majority end up homeless, hungry, depressed and destitute. Many are unwell but unable to access medical care. Those who do manage to find support receive accommodation and vouchers equalling just £35 a week.

Crucially, asylum seekers aren’t allowed to work in the UK. Forget the benefit scroungers tag: there are hundreds of skilled and talented asylum seekers out there who would like nothing better than to earn an honest living while their claim is processed (which can take years). But they can’t.

During Refugee Week, the Red Cross’ Look Beyond the Label campaign will be highlighting the plight of destitute asylum seekers in the UK. And on Wednesday 16 June, we’ll publish a destitution report (it’ll be on our website homepage) which gives the lie to many popular myths and underscores in precise detail just how difficult life can be for someone caught up in the limbo of the asylum system.

It’ll be an uphill struggle to counter the many deep-seated prejudices against asylum seekers, but you can help us by spreading the word about our campaign and voting (starting Monday 14th) to support an end to destitution.

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Comments (3) »

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Tags: asylum seekers, destitution, red cross, Refugee Week, refugees

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