The Refugee Council is concerned at the growing number of alarmist reports in the media about the scale of the so-called current crisis in the UK asylum system. The Refugee Council believes that it is important to keep this issue in perspective and believes that media coverage is blowing the current situation completely out of proportion.
The vast majority of the world's estimated 12 million refugees remain in the region of origin. At the end of 2000, the countries hosting the most refugees compared to the national population were Armenia, Guinea, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Congo, Djibouti and Iran. (Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees 2000 Global Refugee Trends).
For example, many of the world's refugees are currently fleeing Afghanistan. In 2000, the Home Office received 5,230 asylum applications from Afghans in the UK. By contrast, UNHCR estimates there are 2 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and a further 1.5 million in Iran.
The numbers of asylum applications to the UK remain at approximately the same level as last year. Increasingly restrictive measures such as visa controls and carriers liability have been introduced to deter people from claiming asylum in the UK. In fact it is now virtually impossible to arrive in the UK legally with the intention of claiming asylum.
It is these more restrictive measures which have lead to asylum seekers using more extreme and dangerous routes and methods of trying to enter the UK. These methods are more high profile and hence attract more attention.
The Refugee Council believes that the asylum system in the UK could be much improved. We feel there is too much concentration on the mechanics of support such as dispersal and vouchers and not enough on ensuring that the whole decision making process is robust. There continue to be delays in the decision making process and huge increases in the numbers of asylum seekers' applications being refused without their cases being examined. It is in these areas which we would urge the Government to channel its resources.
The UK asylum system must be viewed in the global context. Less than 1% of the world's refugees apply for asylum in the UK. It should not be beyond the capabilities of the UK to deal with this relatively small number and it is misleading to suggest that in doing so we find ourselves in a state of crisis.
All statistics UNHCR. To see UNHCR's statistics, go to the website at www.unhcr.ch
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