Cost of Looking after Children

I have seen some very good accommodation for unaccompanied children seeking asylum, and I have also seen some dreadful accommodation. I have visited homes with a member from the Refugee Council Children's Panel and felt sad to hear how he had been assured that problems in the accommodation were repaired.


I have seen documentation in the past that indicated that the cost of paying for a child under eighteen to be accommodated in shared housing in an inner city area is generally about ninety pounds each per week, to include heating and lighting. Some of these houses in the same street are rented to students for approximately sixty five pounds per week each.


Today I was going through some papers brought to me by a young person. What I see is a handful of papers indicating that social services have paid a local estate agent £1170.00 for the period of one month. There are twelve of these. For a small house in an inner city area containing three bedrooms, a cost of £14,040.00. A further six documents indicate that on a previous cheaper property the rent was just £693.00 per month. Although these properties include gas, electricity and rent, they also say that they include community charge. My understanding is that children don't pay community charge. This amount is more than the cost of renting the entire place to a student ( I checked today). The documents state which person the rent is payable for. Some of these properties have three and four bedrooms in them.


Thats a lot of money - for what, exactly?

Khartoum

Last year, a Sudanese friend felt he had no other option but to return to Sudan. He had retained the right to work in the UK due to some previous ruling that had never been revoked, and he continued to work, pay rent and bills, and pay all his taxes and national insurance contributions. He also supported other people who had lost their homes, had no money, were lost in the system, and was generally a kind and compassionate man.

There is always one factor over all others that pushes people to forsake hope and return to a country they fear. In this case it was the illness of an aging father.

We tried to work out how we could ensure that he would be safe when he returned home. The strategy was to work with a western backed NGO, and to stay in touch.

Last week I received several emails indicating that suddenly things were very different. Foreign workers were being sent on "holiday". Those who were away were being told not to return. Short wave radios were being issued, and people were being told to ensure supplies of food in their homes, and electricity.

Making enquiries in the UK it became clear that something major was happening. News was breaking over the weekend that the ICC (International Criminal Court) were being approached to issue a warrent for the arrest of President Bashir of Sudan. The ICC are considering whether to charge him with war crimes and constructing the genocide of the people of Darfur. Phoning Sudan several times over the last few says I am trying to stay in touch, and keep an eye on my friend in Sudan.

Sunday the Press reported that "thousands" were demonstrating around the City of Khartoum, parading in support of the Sudanese Presdent. Although it also seems clear that these demonstrators are largely from the employ of the Government, nonetheless there is a concern that demonstrators can become rioters and attack anyone working for a foreign based NGO.

After several months of daily, sometimes several times daily, email correspondance with my friend in Sudan, today there is nothing. His last email to me was that he was going to send something important today. No matter how many times I check my email account, there is nothing. The telephone system in Sudan does not seem to be as efficient today.

Whenever anyone applies to the International office of Migration (IOM) for return to their country of origin, they must sign a waiver before they board the plane. This waiver says that they do not hold the UK Government responsible for anything that happens to them after they return.

But something stirs within me when I know the life that is offered here. The hope, the loss of hope, the fear, destitution, impoverishment of life and of spirit, deterioration of health and mental health. Some people say that they would rather die here in such circumstances than be returned to what they believe will happen to them in their country. Others believe that they cannot cope with the loss of hope that visits them here, and that at least they have an understanding of what will happen to them "back home". This coercion, this deprivation. Maybe the returnee can waive the rights to hold anyone responsible for what happens to them. But we don't have to.

One Mans' Journey through The Asylum Process

Refugee Week has passed (15th - 21st June 2008) and the One Mans' Journey Exhibition was up at the Central Library for the whole month of June.

I had only the slightest idea of what would be involved in putting up the exhibition, and despite the wonderful work of Aurelie, Roy and Megan, who devoted hours to selecting photographs and deciding on the themes, we were still running to keep up with ourselves.

Along the way we had the detention of Amdani Juma, a well respected colleague, translator, HIV worker, floating support worker and so much more besides. All of us held our breath with Amdani's detention (more in another blog article).

Choosing the photographs for the exhibition was a journey in itself. Staying in touch with Hakim in Kurdistan, who had given consent for his own photos to be used, and was the inspiration for the exhibition, we had so many opportunities to reflect on the asylum process.
http://beestonquakers.blogspot.com/2008/06/one-mans-journey.htmlhttp://beestonquakers.blogspot.com/2008/06/one-mans-journey.html
The photographs could have been displayed in so many ways and told so many aspects of the process. However, there was a strong personal impact upon us in the telling of Hakim's Journey. All of us who know Hakim, also know the asylum process very well in our different capacities. All of us became increasingly angry at the disregard shown, at every step of Hakim's Journey, to this gentle man, Hakim.

We reflected upon his decision to return to his country. Those who were with him in the weeks prior to his return, remember the personal pain that he experienced in making his decision. All of us believe that his decision was imposed from pressures outside of himself. He had made a fresh application for asylum, and we were all cautiously hopeful that the evidence produced would be successful, and that he might be reunited with his daughters and wife, here in the UK. We know that his return was not an occasion of great joy, but of what he describes as a "broken heart".

On display at the exhibition we had three short documentaries, but problems with our technology meant that not everyone had a chance to view them. The first, made by Hakim, was of the tedious and noisy work in a vegetable preparation factory. Listening to this tape for more than a few minutes was excruciating. Thinking of a man working in that noisy environment every day was unpleasant. Remembering that he worked there for a month without wages, for a chance to sleep on the floor when he was destitute, was a quick trigger for rage.

The documentary recording the experiences of his housemates, who learnt not only about him, but about asylum in the UK was a poignant and frank insight, as they also learnt more about themselves in relationship. The final documentary, filmed by Aurelie in Kurdistan, was so difficult to watch. As we saw Hakim break down, and trying to conceal his emotions, his wife crying as she reflected upon the loss of their hope for safety. The UK Government says that Kurdistan is safe - see other parts of this blog for explosions in the area this year. Hearing his wife speaking about how she has lost her husband now that he is home, because he has been psychologically affected by the process of asylum, I don't know what to say.

Every time that I watch this I remember that, contrary to all the laws that exist to afford sanctuary to those who fear persecution or danger in their home country, we seem to be slipping into a game of numbers, in which it is not about people given sanctuary, but the numbers of those who are prevented, and all this just to satisfy a tabloid desire.




http://www.sankofafoundation.org.uk/