campaigns > destitution > the solution

The solution

destitute asylum seeker in toilet

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.

3) 'Let them work'

We are asking that all asylum seekers who are here for more than 6 months while their case is being processed, or who cannot return, to be allowed to work until such time as they can return home safely.

4) Full access to healthcare for all asylum seekers.

Currently, those who are refused asylum can still see a GP and receive emergency healthcare. But they cannot access secondary healthcare which means that many people cannot get treatment for medical conditions until they become life threatening.

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