At GARAS (Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers) we offer support to those seeking asylum in Gloucestershire, welcoming them when they arrive, advocating for them in their daily struggles, supporting them if they face being sent back as well as helping them adjust to their long term future if they are recognised as refugees.
Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (GARAS)
The Trust Centre
Falkner St
Gloucester
GL1 4SQ
Telephone: 01452 550528
General enquiries: info@garas.org.uk
Administrative enquiries: admin@garas.org.uk
www.garas.org.uk
Director
Adele Owen
World Refugee Day
I had intended to provide a brief history to the responsibilities we have legally, never mind ethically! But I have only just got home and maybe, given today, it may be more appropriate to say a little about children, children on their own, somehow surviving against all kinds of odds. Over the years I have worked with asylum seekers and refugees, it is frequently the children who have touched me most.
What does it take a parent or a family member to come to the conclusion that sending your child on some extraordinary journey is the best for them?
What does it say about the situation that they are in that this the best option, the best future?
Scars both physical and emotional can be very visible and yet so to is the resilience, the commitment to hard work, the ready smile and the childlike trust.
We have been looking at some of the initiatives that are coming into play to support children through Resettlement, Family Reunion in Europe and the so called Lord Dubbs amendment.
Yet today has also involved discussions about the additional legal constraints that are being placed upon these youngsters, withdrawal of access to services and legal help all being implemented through the most recent Immigration Act and a build up of creating a “hostile environment “.
Happy World Refugee Day!
-Adele
World Refugee Day – here are some facts: 51.2 million people have had to flee their homes. 17.9 million leaving their countries. 6.3 million have been living as refugees for many years. Where do they live? Mostly next door. For instance, of the 2.5 million from Afghanistan, 1.6 million live in Pakistan. Ten years ago, 30% managed to get to safety in wealthy countries. Today that has dropped to 14%. So of that, we work with a minuscule number. But I hope that what I have spoken of this week shows loud and clear that every single one of these is a human being with the same longings, cares and hopes as you and me.