Channel Crossings: We Need More Compassion

We all have a name.

Rasoul Iran-Nejad. Shiva Mohammad Panahi. Anita, Armin, and Artin. Abdulfatah Hamdallah. Filmon Mengstab. Mitra Mehdad. Abdullah Dilsouz. Alan Kurdi.

These are just some of the names of adults and children who died making perilous journeys in search of safety. Let us not forget that each one left behind family and friends, and each one had their own story, a reason they were willing to take such risks to escape something or someone.

We need our government to respond in a compassionate and just way, recognising those making these journeys not as a problem to be dealt with, not as numbers to be managed, but as individuals in need of protection.

While recent news has focused on the numbers of people making the dangerous journey by boat between France and the UK, this is not something new. People have been claiming asylum in the UK for many years, and as an island the only way for many of those seeking sanctuary is by crossing the channel.

Some of those making these crossings have ended up accommodated here in Derby and we have heard first-hand about their experiences.

Previously, the preferred route for many asylum seekers has been travelling by lorry. A close friend of mine shared about his hair-raising journey clinging to the underneath of a lorry’s trailer for almost 8 hours, with any loss of concentration (or tired fingers) meaning he would have slipped and ended up under the wheels. Another person shared how they almost froze to death in the back of a refrigerated truck, kept alive only by the kindness of a fellow refugee providing him with their coat.

Another focus has been on what is depicted as the increasing numbers of those claiming asylum in the UK. In fact, government figures show that for the ending March 2020, the total number of asylum applications was 35,099, only slightly higher than the previous year, and significantly lower than the peak in asylum applications in 2002 (84,132), which coincided with conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

It is also worth noting that total immigration into the UK in the year ending March 2020 was approximately 715,000, meaning those seeking asylum made up less than 5% of total migrants for the year.

People will still want claim asylum in the UK (and there are many reasons for this, which unfortunately can’t be covered in this blog post) and therefore will continue to look for whatever route they can to make it here. We need our government to respond to this situation in a way that doesn’t dehumanise and scapegoat those fleeing war and persecution, but offers a safe route for individuals to exercise their right to claim asylum in this country.

There are no easy solutions, but we pray for wisdom for those decision makers and for compassion and justice to be at the heart of any Government plan.

To read more on possible safe options read ‘Safe and Legal Routes of Entry to the UK’ by The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.

Andrew Jackson – Chief Executive