News review 2009

5 January 2009

News review, 5-18 December
News Review, 9 - 19 November
News review, 27 October - 9 November
News review, 10 – 26 October An attempt by the British government to remove asylum seekers to southern Iraq met with widespread criticism and non-cooperation by the Iraqi authorities, the extent to which detention damages children’s health was revealed in a study of detainees at Yarl’s Wood and the UN refugee agency criticised EU asylum policy.
News review, 26 September – 9 October Refugee organisations and charities hit out at cuts to support for asylum seekers, scientists criticised UK Border Agency plans for DNA testing of asylum seekers and the debate surrounding refugees in Calais continued to play out in the press.
News review, 12 - 25 September Much of the media was dominated by the French government closing the camps in Calais that were a temporary home for people hoping to find their way to the UK, with the Refugee Council interviewed widely for both TV and radio and quoted across both the national and regional press.
News review, 29 August – 11 September Official figures revealed hundreds of children are currently being held in detention, the European Commission revealed plans to resettle more refugees within the EU and a rise in homelessness amongst asylum seekers in the UK was reported by charities.
News review, 15 - 28 August The latest quarterly statistics were released, a pilot scheme to help destitute asylum seekers faster was criticised by campaigners and Barcelona’s football team showed their support for refugees on their shirts in a friendly with Manchester City.
News review, 1 - 14 August The Chief Inspector of Prisons highlighted the intimidating behaviour of some officials when removing people from the UK, the Home Office revealed plans for earned citizenship and members of an Iranian band began the process of seeking asylum in Britain.
News review, 18 - 31 July The Government announced it would be cutting financial support for single asylum seekers while recommending access to healthcare should be extended.
News review, 4 -17 July A report showed the many skills wasted by not allowing asylum seekers to work, the third annual study of Leeds asylum seekers showed that one third had been destitute for over a year, and a new play in London set in a shipping container explored the experience of trafficked people.
News Review, 20 June - 3 July The UNHCR opened a full-time office in Calais to offer information and support to those living rough in the area, a Children’s Society report called for lessons to be learned from a failed 2007 scheme to provide refused asylum seeker families with an alternative to detention and the London City for Sanctuary group welcomed refugees by displaying banners across the city.
News review, 6 - 19 June Refugee Week took place this fortnight, with hundreds of events across the country. This week’s News Review attempts to give a sense of how events and issues arising from Refugee Week were covered in the local and national press, as well as a round up of other related media coverage.
News review, 23 May - 5 June The press covered the issue of the Refugee Council’s children panel losing government funding, charities and NGOs raised concerns over evidence that refused Congolese asylum seekers faced violence on their return to the DRC and a young refugee won a nationwide poetry competition.
News review, 2 - 22 May A survey published by the Asylum Support Partnership revealed the shocking extent of destitution amongst refused asylum seekers, Strangers into Citizens hosted a rally in London, a pilot scheme to help refused families return home began and Ethiopian refugees in North West England launched a Fairtrade coffee company.
News review, 15 April - 1 May A report by the Children’s Commissioner for England called for an end to the detention of children while the treatment of immigration detainees at Heathrow Airport also came under fire. Photographs taken by young refugees went on display at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
News review, 31 March - 14 April An increase in the number of children being trafficked to the UK was reported, a new detention centre based in Oxfordshire was granted planning permission, one newspaper looked into the lack of educational facilities for detained children and it was announced that asylum and immigration cases will be heard regionally as well as in London.
News review, 17 - 30 March The Court of Appeal ruled on refused asylum seekers’ access to healthcare, there were reports that a refused asylum seeker had been killed after being returned to Sudan and the debate over refugees in Calais continued in the press.
News review, 3 - 16 March How children are treated within the asylum system came under the spotlight as two reports into detention and treatment of child refugees were published and a case to decide the age of a young refugee began in the High Court.
News review, 18 February - 2 March The latest asylum statistics were published, Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohammed returned to the UK, the EC proposed a new EU wide asylum agency and the Home Secretary was ordered by the High Court to return a deported refugee to the UK.
News review, 3 - 17 February The Church of England’s governing body called for asylum seekers to be allowed to work, a Refugee Council report revealed shocking levels of sexual violence among refugee women, a family were awarded damages for the trauma suffered whilst in detention and a young refugee footballer gained his first England cap.
News review, 20 Jan – 2 Feb A National Audit Office report highlighted flaws in the New Asylum Model and research by the London Detainee Support Group showed many people are left in long term detention with no indication of what is happening with their case. Elsewhere, Zimbabwean refugee Shepherd Yuda won a prestigious Broadcast Award for his film The Stolen Ballots.
News review, 6 - 19 January Work issues were in the news again with a Refugee Council volunteer being interviewed by the BBC and a lively protest outside Downing Street. Elsewhere, the UK Border Agency introduced a new code of practice with the intent of keeping children in the immigration system safe, Phil Woolas called for a review of the 1951 Geneva convention and a undercover investigation revealed how illegal workers were being exploited at one clothing factory.
News review, 17 December - 5 January A Refugee Council report revealed how UK border controls in other countries risk sending refugees back to danger, church leaders condemned UK asylum policies in their Christmas messages, a Refugee Council volunteer won an award for her campaigning and a new film will be based on the true story of two asylum campaigners.