There is a growing amount of information about destitution affecting asylum which is available through these links:
Amnesty International: Down and Out in London: The road to destitution for rejected asylum seekers
In their report, Amnesty International has criticised the UK government's policy on rejected asylum seekers, which is forcing thousands into abject poverty. Amnesty believes that rejected asylum seekers are made destitute to force them to go home.
Refugee action report: The destitution map: Asylum’s untold story
Refugee Action’s The Destitution Trap, based on research in nine UK cities, reveals the suffering caused by an inhumane and ineffective government policy that cuts off support for refused asylum seekers.
Living Ghosts campaign site
Find out about the Living Ghosts campaign run by Church Action on Poverty which highlights the plight of destitute asylum seekers in the UK.
Living Ghost endurance challenge blog
Read about the experiences of one ordinary person who decided to spend a week living on the same resources as a ‘Living Ghost’. Find out how he managed to survive in London on the £5 and a food parcel that a failed asylum seeker would have to live on.
The Guardian 23/05/06: Government accused of draconian treatment of asylum seekers
The Guardian covers the Church of England ‘Faithful Cities’ report, which strongly criticises the UK government for its treatment of failed asylum seekers and for using destitution as a means of coercion.
Download the Faithful Cities Report
The Guardian 23/03/06: Support for failed asylum seekers
This letter to the Guardian from Tony McNulty MP (then Home Office minister for immigration) details the minimal government support available to failed asylum seekers. This letter was written in response to a campaign by the Refugee Council calling for failed asylum seekers to be given support in cash rather than vouchers.
The Guardian 09/01/06: Red Cross aids failed asylum seekers
This Guardian article reveals the impact of government policies in creating destitution among asylum seekers in 2006. It also highlights the work of the Red Cross in helping failed asylum seekers to find food and shelter.
The Guardian 10/08/05: Asylum seeker families’ benefits cut
This report from the Society Guardian outlines some of the key policies that make failed asylum seekers destitute such as Section 9 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 2004, which withdrew benefits from failed asylum seeking families.
The Observer 28/03/04: Living in fear: my week with the hidden asylum seekers
A harrowing report by a journalist who spent a week living with a destitute failed asylum seeker in Salford. The report highlights the poverty and fear that dominates the daily life of a failed asylum seeker.
Sky News website 31/01/06
This Sky News report highlights the ineffectiveness of the government’s Section 9 policy of withdrawing support from failed asylum seeker families. It features the Sukula family as a case study of a destitute family living on charity handouts.
British Red Cross website
Read a case study and quotes from failed asylum seekers who are served by the Red Cross destitution project in the West Midlands.
Refugee Action website 21/06/05: New report shows destitute asylum seekers forced to sleep on the streets
A Refugee Action report reveals that destitute asylum seekers in Leicester are being forced to sleep on the streets and in doorways, train stations, squats, parks, corridors and car parks, because of government policies withdrawing support from failed asylum seekers
“They think we are nothing”: A survey of destitute asylum seekers and refugees in Scotland: Scottish Refugee Council, August 2006
A report from the Scottish Refugee Council which captures a snapshot of destitution experienced by asylum seekers in Glasgow and the reasons behind their suffering.
Disclaimer: the Refugee Council is not responsible for the content of any external websites and does not endorse any view expressed in them. These links are offered as sources of background information only.
