Reading Refugee Support Group

Refugee Stories

Report by Alice (L6) - 

On Friday 24 June, the L6 had a fascinating talk given by Ellie from the Refugee Support Group in Berkshire. She introduced us to some of the issues which she went on to talk about with a video from the Refugee Council, containing information and opinions on refugee issues in England from multiple people, including one Sudanese refugee.

Ellie discussed the 1951 Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights, both of which UK is part of, and is therefore expected to provide sanctuary for asylum seekers who wish to claim asylum in Britain. She told us about some of the governments policies regarding the immigration of asylum seekers to Britain, and how they have made it harder for asylum seekers to claim refugee status and start a life in the UK.

The Illegal Migration Act of 2023 banned anyone who arrived in the UK on small boats or by other irregular means to claim asylum. As part of the governments promise to speed up the processing of asylum claims, they only allow people to stay in temporary housing for 28 days after their asylum claim has been granted. As they refugees are not allowed to work until they have official status, they often find themselves homeless with no income to find a home. Further to this, the UK government is in the process of trying to implement the Rwanda Scheme, which will send asylum seekers to have their claims processed by Rwanda. Despite trying to write into law that Rwanda is a safe country, in 2023, the UK government granted asylum to four Rwandan people due to a well-founded fear of persecution. Ellie also told us about how the government has welcomed some refugees, such as those from Ukraine, who they have given access to visas, accommodation, and other types of support.

Despite this level of resistance from the government, the UK only hosts 1% of forcibly displaced refugees, and is 20th on the list of countries which host the most refugees. This is primarily because displaced people stay in neighbouring countries to the one they have fled, due to similar cultures and languages.

Ellie then took us through what the Refugee Support Group does in Berkshire. They proved resettlement support for people welcomed by the government, and have case workers and a lawyer to help those claiming sanctuary. They also run drop in centres, where refugees can get weekly support and socialise, a football team, and a homework club to help refugee children.

This was a very interesting talk on an important topic. It has definitely helped us as a year group to be more aware and informed on these issues. It was also very interesting to learn about this issue in our local community, and what is being done to help. Thank you to Ellie for this talk!