This Valentine’s Day, we’re calling on political leaders to commit to a plan for refugees that is fair, kind and gets the system working again, for everyone.
The ‘fair begins here’ campaign, led by Together With Refugees, comes after a catalogue of legislation that has now even gone so far as to essentially remove the right to claim asylum. First it was the Nationality & Borders Act, then the Illegal Migration Act and now the Safety of Rwanda Bill, which will continue to be debated in the House of Lords in the coming weeks.
On top of this, in the past year we’ve seen: proposals to exempt asylum accommodation from HMO licensing requirements; the Home Office forcing newly granted refugees into homelessness through 7-day evictions; hundreds of children missing from asylum accommodation; the number of safe routes to the UK decrease dramatically; child refugees wrongly treated as adults and placed in accommodation with adult strangers; proposals to exempt asylum accommodation from regulations forcing landlords to fix damp and mould problems; proposals for a ‘British homes for British workers’ scheme that allocates social housing based on nationality rather than need.
This erosion of the rights of people who have sought safety in the UK must stop. Enough of the divisive and inflammatory rhetoric. Enough of the barges, barracks and flights to Rwanda. Enough of the Government placing itself above the law.
Fair begins here.
This campaign is calling for a fair new plan for refugees with:
- Protection for people fleeing war and persecution by upholding the UK’s commitment under international law to the right to claim asylum and by scrapping the Rwanda scheme.
- A proper strategy for welcoming refugees by ensuring fair, rapid decisions on their application for asylum, and the chance to rebuild their lives through settling in a community, being allowed to work and being given the chance to learn English.
- Stronger global cooperation to tackle the root causes that force people to flee their homes and provide positive solutions when they do, including through safe routes to refugee protection.
So, how can you get involved this Valentine's Day?! You can find some great campaigning ideas from Together With Refugees at the link below. You can also like/share/repost our content on social media on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
Click below to access the full Together With Refugees toolkit that includes helpful guidance and resources:
Together with Refugees toolkit
If you'd like to give towards the WiFi in our houses to help people we support stay in touch with their loved ones this Valentine's Day, click below.