Refugee Council’s children’s panel loses Home Office funding
The government is removing the Refugee Council’s funding to work with age-disputed young asylum seekers, which could leave hundreds of vulnerable wrongly assessed child asylum seekers without access to education and treated the same as adults in the asylum system.
The funding enabled Refugee Council staff to support those who may have been wrongly assessed as adults by providing welfare solicitors, referring them for medical assessments and lobbying on their behalf.
The Guardian: Charity loses funding to help child refugees wrongly classified as adults
Children and Young People Now: Charity ‘s work with age-disputed asylum seekers stopped
Torture reports of returned Congolese asylum seekers
The Guardian highlighted two cases where refused asylum seekers have been detained and tortured on their return to the Democratic Republic of Congo from the UK.
Removal of refused asylum seekers to the DRC was suspended in 2007 but has recently resumed.
The Guardian: Britain sending refused Congo asylum seekers back to threat of torture
The Guardian: Letters: Deportation fears
UNHCR to set up Calais office
UNHCR will be opening an office in Calais to provide information about requesting asylum in France.
Daily Mail: UN Calais office to tell migrants: UK is no Eldorado
BBC News: UN moves to cut Channel migrants
Unlawfully deported refugee to sue government
A High Court judge ordered the Home Secretary to arrange the return of John Bosco Nyombi to the UK after ruling that Mr Nyombi had been deliberately misled and given no opportunity to contact friends or a lawyer before being placed on a flight back to Uganda.
Once back in Uganda, Mr Nyombi spent six months in hiding – twice being placed in prison and beaten for his sexuality. He will now be seeking damages from the UK government for his treatment.
The Independent: Government to face legal action by returned asylum-seeker
Pink News: Gay asylum seeker John Bosco Nyombi wins right to stay in the UK
Young refugee wins nationwide poetry competition
Yazdan Isfabani, a 10 year old Iranian refugee, beat 1,500 other 7 to 11 year olds to win the Off By Heart poetry competition.
The Times: Poetry to his ears: how asylum seeker from Iran won school verse competition
Journalist takes chartered removal flight
The Telegraph featured an insight into conditions about the chartered planes which remove refused asylum seekers and others from the UK.
The Telegraph: Asylum airlines: your one-way flight to deportation
Scottish Refugee Council launch ‘Home’ event
Three Scottish figures, Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop, writer John Byrne and musician Emma Pollock have been invited into the homes of refugees living in Glasgow to mark the start of Scottish Refugee Week.
Evening Times: Minister to visit refugee at home
The Herald: Plight of refugees revealed to writer Bryne
