Tomorrow morning, early, too early, I’ll put on my walking boots and head off into the rain towards Loughborough. It’s about 12.5 miles from Leicester, and another 12.5 back. I’ll be walking with a collection of people, some of whom I know well, some of whom I’ve never met, to raise money for Refugee Action’s work with destitute asylum seekers.
We’re focussing on the destitute because we see many asylum seekers without any support, and, during February this year, when it was bitterly cold, the annual survey of destitute asylum seekers in Leicester revealed that 148 people were without support at the coldest time of the year – 5 of those people were pregnant women and nearly 30 were receiving some form of treatment for mental health problems. What was perhaps even more worrying was that 41 of them had been destitute for at least 5 years.
That’s an awful lot of human suffering, and it seems really unfair that people who come here seeking safety end up on the streets, or flitting from sofa to sofa because UKBA have rejected their claims and cut off their support. It isn’t a good sign for society either, the fact that the ranks of the destitute are being swelled by people seeking safety.
Anyway, that’s why we’re focussing on destitute asylum seekers.
Why Loughborough? Well, most asylum seekers have to report at the UKBA reporting office in Loughborough every week or month. Those who are destitute have to borrow money from friends, or seek help from charities or, in extreme cases, walk the 25 miles, in order to comply with the requirements of UKBA. It’s striking just how many people without support are keen to do what UKBA asks of them. That’s because they’re ordinary people, like you or me, who’d like to keep on the right side of the law.
The difference between us, of course, is that we are already safe, and we can work, or claim benefits. We belong here. Asylum seekers have precious few rights and, once UKBA rejects an asylum claim, are expected to go back to their country. Which is fine, if you believe your country is safe for you, but not if you believe you’ll be in danger on return. That’s why many people choose destitution over return – because the risks of return are far greater.
So, it seemed appropriate to walk to the reporting centre and back and to raise money and public awareness in the process. I’ve done a radio interview and got coverage in the Leicester Mercury, and used email and Facebook to tell people what I’m doing and why… and people have been exceedingly generous in supporting me. However, it’s not too late to sponsor me if you still want to – just go to http://www.justgiving.com/goingforadander, and I honestly don’t mind if you sponsor me after I’ve done the walk!
View a BBC news piece about the walk here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/8335815.stm
Posted by Aidan Hallet