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Living Ghosts
Why asylum seekers deserve dignity not destitution
‘Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares’ (Hebrews 13:2)
Throughout Britain hundreds of church groups open their doors and their hearts to the very poorest people in society. However affluent this country becomes, one group or another is always left out... Poverty still affects many people from different communities and walks of life – people trapped on inadequate benefits, or in low paid work, senior citizens on meagre pensions... All have stories that need to be heard. Alongside these, a new group of people have emerged who are not just suffering extreme poverty but are frequently vilified in the press...
Asylum issues are often in the news, but what is it like having to claim asylum? What does it feel like to be made destitute, not allowed to work, and forced to rely on friends, charity and Red Cross food parcels?
Increasing numbers of refused asylum seekers are being left without basic hospitality and the means of life. They are removed from their accommodation and financial support ceases two weeks after their case for asylum is deemed to have ‘failed’. They frequently have no means to return home, and ‘choose’ a life of destitution rather than return to a country they fear.
scarred for life
The Sukula family sought refuge in the UK as a result of the conflict in their homeland in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ngeidi still bears the scars of being attacked in the Congo, where last year alone about 31,000 people were killed, every month, by the ongoing conflict and instability.
The Home Office has turned down the Sukula family’s asylum claim. Under harsh new legislation they, like other families in the same position, are no longer entitled to any support or housing unless they sign a document agreeing to go home ‘voluntarily’. They not only face destitution, but the prospect of having their children taken into care by the local authority.
In the words of 19 year old Flores Sukula, ‘For 12 weeks we have had all benefits taken away… we have to survive on the charity of others. It’s inhuman and degrading… My mum is so depressed she’s had to go on medication, she’s crying all the time… My brother, Destin, is seven now. He’s so stressed out. He’s just not the same person anymore. My sister Benedicte is nine months, but since August we cannot give her nappies and baby milk.’
Faith groups across the country have been stretched in showing Christian compassion and hospitality to increasing numbers of asylum seekers like the Sukula family. The Red Cross also supports destitute asylum seekers with food parcels, but recently had to end cash payments for travel expenses (just £5 per week) because of lack of funds. What is increasingly clear, is that such heroic efforts on the part of faith groups and the Red Cross are not sustainable, and a situation in which people have to rely on food parcels for their very survival, is not acceptable.
It is inhuman and unacceptable that some asylum seekers are left homeless and destitute by government policies. Every city has people destitute or living on food parcels because they have no means of support. The Refugee Council recently reported that ‘Section 9’ (the policy of making ‘failed’ asylum seeker families destitute) was causing ‘immense distress and panic among families who face destitution, homelessness and having their children taken into care.’
Church Action on Poverty, along with a number of other Christian charities, are calling upon government to allow asylum seekers to sustain themselves and contribute to wider society through paid work, and where that is not possible, to re-instate refused asylum seekers entitlement to benefits.
speak up and be counted
Last December over 60 church leaders from across the UK signed a joint letter to the Times newspaper saying that: ‘As a society we have international moral and legal responsibilities to welcome those fleeing adversity from other parts of the world and provide social security. But the threat of destitution is being used as a way of pressuring refused asylum seekers to leave the country. All those within our borders, including people seeking asylum, whatever their status, should have the opportunity to help themselves, and society, through paid employment. Where this is not possible, people seeking asylum, whatever their status, should be given the necessary rights to “food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services” (UN Declaration of Human Rights).’
There are already encouraging signs that the Home Office is being forced to re-think its policy. Tony McNulty, Home Office minister in charge of immigration policy has been forced to acknowledge that some unsuccessful asylum seekers are now destitute or living on food parcels. We must now keep up the pressure to ensure that the Home Office follows this with speedy action to end the scandal of asylum destitution. The Living Ghosts campaign has shown again – just as with Make Poverty History – that when the churches work together with others of goodwill, they can still be a positive force for change in society. Our challenge is to stand up, speak up and be counted.
We must remember, above all, that refused asylum seekers are still human, and deserve to be treated the same as we would expect if we had to flee to another country. We should offer the respect to our neighbours that we expect ourselves. This is at the heart of the Christian faith, and of many other religions. The Sukula family, and thousands like them, deserve nothing less.
For more information on the Living Ghosts campaign visit www.church-poverty.org.uk or write to Church Action on Poverty, Central Buildings, Oldham Street, Manchester, M1 1JQ.
Niall Cooper is National Coordinator of Church Action on Poverty and a member of United People’s Church, Moss Side
Prayers for Living Ghosts For the times we have failed to see what is done in our name, Lord have mercy Lord have mercy For the times we have let the lies about asylum seekers go unchallenged, Christ have mercy Christ have mercy For the suffering of those who came to seek refuge among us, and are now living without food, shelter or hope, Lord have mercy Lord have mercy
© Carole Birley/CAP
A Prayer
A prayer that strangers, refugees, and those who seek asylum may find a welcome among us.
We pray for all who make our laws and administer justice: May the God of justice be their guide.
We pray for those who minister to the vulnerable and broken people especially the homeless and destitute: that they may show God’s welcoming love.
God of the stranger and the host Provide welcome and succour to the stranger Disturb the comfort of the host to welcome the stranger So that together they continue life’s journey with the peace, security and rootedness of people who share a common humanity.
God bless our eyes so that we will recognise injustices.
God bless our ears so that we will hear the cry of the stranger.
God bless our mouths so that we will speak words of welcome to newcomers.
God bless our shoulders so that we will be able to bear the weight of struggling for justice.
God bless our hands so that we can work together with all people to establish peace.
Offering
Lord, help us to see you in the stranger who comes seeking shelter. Lord, open our eyes.
May we always be
ready to listen to those who long to be heard.
Give us the courage to speak out against injustice.
Lord, open our lips
Help us to be ready to welcome the asylum seekers in our midst with food, clothing, shelter and friendship.
Lord, open our hands
We pray that we, our neighbours and our leaders will look on asylum seekers with a humble awareness of our common humanity. Lord, open our hearts
© Carole Birley/CAP
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