Transcript Myths and Facts about Asylum Seekers

MYTH BUSTER
Resolving the issues about
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Sources: IPPR Factfile: ‘Asylum in the UK’, Crossing Border ‘Press Myths’, Refugee Council ‘The Facts
About Asylum, UKBA, UNHCR, ACPO, General Medical Council, Commission for Racial Equality, MORI
Introduction
• FACT: Asylum seekers and refugees are
rarely out of the British media
• FACT: Many myths surround asylum
seekers and refugees in the UK
• FACT: This short presentation seeks to
resolve these myths
Sources: IPPR Factfile: ‘Asylum in the UK’, Crossing Border ‘Press Myths’, Refugee Council ‘The Facts
About Asylum, UKBA, UNHCR, ACPO, General Medical Council, Commission for Racial Equality, MORI
Britain Is The Asylum Capital Of The
World”
• MYTH: British people believe that
on average the UK has 23% of the
world’s refugees
• FACT: The UK houses under 2% of the world’s
refugees
– Two thirds of the world’s refugees live in
developing countries
– In 2008 the UK ranked 17th in the league table of
industrialised countries for the number of
asylum applicants per head of population
Sources: IPPR Factfile: ‘Asylum in the UK’, Crossing Border ‘Press Myths’, Refugee Council ‘The Facts
About Asylum, UKBA, UNHCR, ACPO, General Medical Council, Commission for Racial Equality, MORI
Asylum Seekers Are Mainly Illegal
• MYTH: People seeking asylum
do so under illegal means
• FACT: There is no such thing as an illegal
asylum seeker
– The UK signed the 1951 Convention on Refugees
giving anyone the right to apply for asylum in the
UK and stay here until a final decision has been
made on their application
Sources: IPPR Factfile: ‘Asylum in the UK’, Crossing Border ‘Press Myths’, Refugee Council ‘The Facts
About Asylum, UKBA, UNHCR, ACPO, General Medical Council, Commission for Racial Equality, MORI
Asylum Seekers Abuse The Welfare
System
• MYTH: Asylum seekers receive large benefits
• FACT: Asylum seekers aren’t allowed to claim
many types of benefit
– A lone parent asylum seeker will receive £42.62
per week
– A single person (not parent) will receive £35.52
per week.
• FACT: This is 30% below the UK poverty
line
Sources: IPPR Factfile: ‘Asylum in the UK’, Crossing Border ‘Press Myths’, Refugee Council ‘The Facts
About Asylum, UKBA, UNHCR, ACPO, General Medical Council, Commission for Racial Equality, MORI
Asylum Seekers & Migrants Cause Crime
• MYTH: Reports in newspapers have implied that
asylum seekers and refugees are more likely to cause
crime
• FACT: A report by the Association of Chief Police
Officers stated that the “vast majority of people
seeking asylum are law abiding citizens”
– Asylum seekers are more likely to be the victims of crime
than the perpetrators
– A report by Refugee Action stated that one in five of
their clients experienced some sort of harassment
Sources: IPPR Factfile: ‘Asylum in the UK’, Crossing Border ‘Press Myths’, Refugee Council ‘The Facts
About Asylum, UKBA, UNHCR, ACPO, General Medical Council, Commission for Racial Equality, MORI
Asylum Seekers Cause Unemployment
• MYTH: Some people believe
that asylum seekers take British
jobs away from British people
• FACT: Most asylum seekers aren’t
allowed to work
• Some asylum seekers may take casual jobs.
These jobs may pay a wage below the
minimum wage
Sources: IPPR Factfile: ‘Asylum in the UK’, Crossing Border ‘Press Myths’, Refugee Council ‘The Facts
About Asylum, UKBA, UNHCR, ACPO, General Medical Council, Commission for Racial Equality, MORI
Asylum Seekers Cause The Shortage Of
Housing In The UK
• MYTH: Asylum seekers take all the
affordable housing
• FACT: This problem is not caused by asylum seekers
– Many asylum seekers are destitute and homeless.
– If every asylum seeker left the UK there would still be a
shortage of housing
– Recent governments have restricted the building of new
homes
• Last year only 3 units of housing were built for every 1000
people
Sources: IPPR Factfile: ‘Asylum in the UK’, Crossing Border ‘Press Myths’, Refugee Council ‘The Facts
About Asylum, UKBA, UNHCR, ACPO, General Medical Council, Commission for Racial Equality, MORI
Asylum Seekers Drain NHS Resources
• MYTH: Some people believe that asylum seekers
excessively use the NHS for free
• FACT: Migrants have made a massive contribution to
the NHS
– Today 23% of doctors and 47% of nurses were born outside
of the UK
• Many of these professionals were trained in their countries of
origin
– GPs are allowed to block patients if their lists are too
full
Sources: IPPR Factfile: ‘Asylum in the UK’, Crossing Border ‘Press Myths’, Refugee Council ‘The Facts
About Asylum, UKBA, UNHCR, ACPO, General Medical Council, Commission for Racial Equality, MORI
Myth: Campaigns against asylum seekers
are standing up for ordinary working
class people
• FACT: The campaign against asylum seekers …
– won’t lead to a single affordable house being built, or
– a single hospital waiting list being reduced, or
– a single school being built
• FACT: The campaign against asylum seekers diverts attention
from the real causes of poverty
• FACT: It divides and weakens initiatives to change things for
the better
• FACT: That’s why trade unions often take the lead in fighting
racism
Sources: IPPR Factfile: ‘Asylum in the UK’, Crossing Border ‘Press Myths’, Refugee Council ‘The Facts
About Asylum, UKBA, UNHCR, ACPO, General Medical Council, Commission for Racial Equality, MORI