Safety of Rwanda Bill - joint statement from medical organisations
As representatives of medical humanitarian and healthcare organisations, we call
As representatives of medical humanitarian and healthcare organisations, we call
This proposal looks at the challenges facing survivors of torture and trafficking living in London who are reliant on Home Office asylum support, and calls for the provision of free transport cards for travel within London zones 1-6 to those seeking asylum.
This paper reviews the existing and emerging applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the context of asylum. The use of AI in processing asylum claims could address some of the challenges faced by decision-makers, but the application of AI requires careful implementation, keeping human rights and ethical considerations at the forefront.
Our new report reveals that child refugees who come to the UK alone are facing harassment, abuse and criminalisation as a result of being wrongly treated as adults and placed in accommodation with adult strangers.
We are appalled that the government is continuing to push the Safety of Rwanda Bill through the House of Commons. Those who could be sent to Rwanda include people who have endured the worst of human cruelty in their countries of origin or during their arduous journeys to the UK, or often both. It is inhumane to send them to a third country which they know nothing about, and which has a track record of human rights abuses. This includes sending people back to countries where they were persecuted.
Our new report with Humans for Rights Network (HFRN) shows that the government’s use of Wethersfield airfield as a large ‘open-prison camp’ for men seeking asylum for the last five months has already caused profound harm and suffering.
We are deeply saddened at the news that a man died by suicide on the Bibby Stockholm Barge. We are however not surprised. This was as predictable as it was tragic.
Many survivors, who have already endured terrible exploitation and abuse, have struggled to get the secure status and support they need. However, new information about a Home Office secret policy and u-turn on previous commitments have shown just how bad the situation has got.
The government has been pushing the use of X-ray and MRI scans to find out the age of young people seeking asylum. NGOs and medical bodies have raised serious concerns that these so-called ‘scientific methods’ are not just inaccurate but potentially harmful.
Despite mounting opposition, the government remains determined to house people seeking asylum in large scale ‘accommodation centres’ on former military bases, causing significant harm to those who have already survived arduous journeys to reach the UK.
The vast majority of HBF clients struggle financially and are forced to live in severe financial – this evidence looks at the policies that contribute to this and what needs to change.
During 2022, the Helen Bamber Foundation Group supported more than 700 survivors of trafficking and torture and 870 vulnerable individuals with welfare advice. 69% of the survivors that had been provided with the Helen Bamber Foundation’s model of integrated care saw improvements in their wellbeing and mental health. We also grew our support of the wider sector by building partnerships and providing training to other organisations and statutory services, enabling them to deliver the trauma-focused care and high-quality representation that survivors need.