NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2006 -

NEW AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL UK AND REFUGEE ACTION REPORTS ON ASYLUM

• Down and Out in London – a report by AIUK
• The Destitution Trap – a report by Refugee Action

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Byron Simmonds writes: PJC recently adopted New Roots, a voluntary organizaton based in Norwich and working with refugees and asylum seekers, as its new local charity. Amnesty International UK and Refugee Action have both recently publish  reports which show how government policy is forcing refused asylum-seekers into abject poverty.

The findings, contained in the reports reveal the suffering caused by an inhumane and ineffective government policy that cuts off support for refused asylum-seekers, leading to a new wave of widespread destitution.

The reports suggest that the government is deliberately using destitution in an attempt to drive refused asylum-seekers out of the country. But research has found that, far from encouraging asylum-seekers to return to their countries of origin, destitution made return less likely. The two organisations believe it is vital that the government maintain contact with refused asylum-seekers and that financial support should continue until their cases can be resolved.