Devon has long welcomed refugees. In the 1680s, thousands of Huguenots fleeing persecution in Catholic France found generous hospitality and a new start in life when they reached our county’s harbour towns after a perilous sea crossing.

“The good people of Barnstaple were full of compassion; they took us into their houses and treated us with the greatest kindness.” – Jacques Fontaine, Huguenot refugee, in Mémoires d’une Famille.

Pic of Barnstaple harbour

Devonians have responded no less compassionately to today’s refugee crisis. All over the county, groups of local people have self-organized to prepare a welcome for new arrivals, offer practical support and put pressure on our politicians to do more.

Yet many Devonians also feel confused, even conflicted, about this crisis. Who are the refugees and why do they need to come here? Won’t letting some in encourage more to come? And won’t they be a burden on the taxpayer? What is our government doing and could or should it do more? Above all, what can I do that will make a difference? These are the questions addressed by this brief, co-published by Refugee Support Devon and Exeter City of Sanctuary.

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A Safe HavenA Safe Haven

Devon’s Response to the Refugee Crisis

Devon’s Response to the Refugee Crisis

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Devon has long welcomed refugees. In the 1680s, thousands of Huguenots fleeing persecution in Catholic France found generous hospitality and a new start in life when they reached our county’s harbour towns after a perilous sea crossing.

“The good people of Barnstaple were full of compassion; they took us into their houses and treated us with the greatest kindness.” Jacques Fontaine, Huguenot refugee, in Mémoires d’une Famille.

Devonians have responded no less compassionately to today’s refugee crisis. All over the county, groups of local people have self-organised to prepare a welcome for new arrivals, offer practical support and put pressure on our politicians to do more.

Yet many Devonians also feel confused, even conflicted, about this crisis. Who are the refugees and why do they need to come here? Won’t letting some in encourage more to come? And won’t they be a burden on the taxpayer? What is our government doing and could or should it do more? Above all, what can I do that will make a difference? These are the questions addressed by this brief, co-published by Refugee Support Devon and Exeter City of Sanctuary.

Issue Brief No. 1 January 2016

A Safe HavenDevon’s Response to the Refugee Crisis

ContentsA deepening crisis – facts and figures, causes, and the UK’s response p.3

Demystifying the system – how the UK’s asylum system operates p.5

Asylum seekers and refugees in Devon – the support already available and what more needs to be done p.6

How you can make a difference – through volunteering, fund raising and advocacy p.8

Appledore, one of several Devon harbour towns where

Huguenots made landfall during the 1680s.

Photo by Stephen Ring

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A deepening crisis

In October 2015 an estimated 221,374 people risked their lives to cross the Mediterranean in search of refuge in Europe, according to the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR. That’s about 5000 more than in the whole of 2014.

This crisis is not new, but the numbers arriving have risen rapidly over the past year and are now unprecedented. Where are the refugees coming from and why?

Most are fleeing for their lives from countries torn apart by conflict. The majority (around 62%) are from Syria, whose 5-year civil war has displaced more than 11.6 million people, nearly half its population. But large numbers are also from Iraq, where so-called Islamic State has imposed a regime of terror and deprivation over parts of the country; from Afghanistan, where a resurgent Taliban is battling government forces; from Pakistan, suffering from continuing sectarian violence; from northeastern Nigeria, terrorized by Boko Haram; and from South Sudan/Darfur, where civil war and ethnic cleansing have driven thousands from their homes.

A sizeable minority of refugees are escaping countries oppressed by authoritarian regimes. Notable among these is Eritrea, whose people face forced labour, military service resembling slavery, extrajudicial killings and reprisals.

Research suggests that rising populations, climate change and the pressures these impose on natural resources and food prices were destabilising factors in a number of these countries. This implies that the refugee crisis is not only here to stay but likely to worsen in the coming decades, as continuing population growth and intensifying climate change ramp up the pressures.

“I believe this is our generation’s Holocaust. Our great grandchildren will judge us on the compassion we showed.”

Bethany Usher, Teesside University Lecturer.

Cold water, warm people: beginning a new life in Devon

Mohammed was born in Benghazi, Libya’s second city and a prosperous Mediterranean port. One of his earliest memories

is swimming in the warm sea with his family.

After school, Mohammed went to the University of Benghazi to study engineering. Then, in 2009, he was diagnosed with kidney disease and told he must regularly attend hospital for dialysis treatment. This was time-consuming, so he switched to an Economics degree, which required English to complete. In October 2013, Mohammed flew to the UK to study the language in Totnes.

Benghazi has now become so dangerous that Mohammed cannot return there. “When I left, the place was still more or less functional,” he says. “But now they have destroyed the hospital and closed the university – the two institutions that supported me. Whole areas of the city are no-go areas; sometimes my family cannot leave the house.”

In contrast, Devon feels like home. “I like it here,” Mohammed says simply, “the people are warm and friendly.” He is grateful for the tiny flat he now has in Exeter, where he moved to take up a more extended course in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), at Exeter College. He has friends in both Exeter and Totnes, with whom he enjoys swimming, walking and cooking.

Exeter College is the rock at the centre of Mohammed’s new life. The experience of learning English has been an important part of coming to feel at home in Devon. “I’m learning new things, especially how to explain my health problems; and how to express my feelings.”

Mohammed is looking for a job and would like to finish his degree, marry and have a family. There’s just one experience he’s not keen to repeat and that’s swimming in the English Channel: “it was so cold I only went in up to my knees,” he says.

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The exodus from Syria has placed an intolerable burden on neighbouring countries, especially Lebanon, a country the size of Cornwall that now has over one million refugees, but also Turkey and Jordan. Also under pressure are Germany and Sweden, the only two European countries to have responded generously (Germany alone has taken in over 800,000 refugees this year). Both are asking other European countries, including the UK, to do more – but their requests have so far fallen on deaf ears. Europe as a whole has repeatedly failed to rise to the challenges posed by the crisis: it still lacks an overall strategy and has not lived up to its promises of aid and facilities for front-line states, especially Greece.

How has the UK responded? David Cameron has recently:

Announced a £100 million aid package to help Syrian refugees, including £40 million to be spent in neighbouring countries. This brings to £1 billion the amount of UK aid money allocated to the crisis in the region itself

Agreed to accept 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next 5 years under a recently launched Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme (VPRS). The scheme will only accept refugees from the camps in neighbouring countries and will not include those already in Europe

Responded positively to a 38 Degrees petition to resettle 1000 Syrians in the UK by Christmas.

The UK is the second largest bilateral donor of aid to Syria and its neighbours and the government can be commended for its response in this area. However, Mr Cameron’s offer to accept 20,000 Syrian refugees over 5 years is grossly inadequate compared to the scale of the crisis, falling way short of what other countries are doing – even countries much smaller than ours such as Denmark, the Netherlands and Malta. It also ignores the plight of refugees already in Europe, especially those stranded in Calais and a few already on British territory, in Cyprus. Worse still, the UK shares with several other EU member states the special dishonour of having opted out of European initiatives to develop an overall

strategy for dealing humanely with the crisis, in line with its obligations under international human rights law. The result is that, on arrival in Europe, people already traumatized by experiences in their home countries and on their journeys have, at some frontiers, been greeted by walls, razor-wire fences, tear gas and water cannon. Shame on us!

“No existing sound research substantiates the political claim that giving people asylum in Europe stimulates more flow.”Alexander Betts, Head of Refugee Studies Centre at Oxford University

Myth busterThe UK’s failure to respond adequately to Europe’s refugee crisis reflects two main fears, neither of them borne out by the evidence:

• Myth: Allowing some refugees to enter the UK will encourage many others to come. Reality: Push factors are far stronger than pull: whatever the risks of the journey and whether or not European doors are open to them, refugees will continue to leave Syria and other countries because life there is intolerably difficult and dangerous. Under these circumstances, we have no option but to respond compassionately.

• Myth: A new influx of refugees will burden our economy. Reality: More than a dozen studies show a net positive effect of migrants, including refugees, on the economy of the UK and other countries. Despite short-term fiscal costs, migrants pay more in tax than they receive in benefits and have little or no depressive effect on wages. Some studies show that they even create jobs.

Far from being a burden, refugees are an opportunity. Most are young, educated, courageous and enterprising. They will rejuvenate our economy and our society.

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Demystifying the system

We believe that everyone should feel welcome when coming to the UK and to Devon. There are, however, important differences that affect people’s legal rights and status once here. The following terms can be confused and/or misrepresented:

Asylum seeker: A person who has left their country of origin and formally applied for asylum (refuge from harm) in the UK. Applications can take months or even years to process, and many genuine ones are at first refused (there is a right of appeal and 25% of appeals are upheld). Asylum seekers are not allowed to do paid work and may be rendered destitute as a result. Note that there is no such person as an “illegal asylum seeker”: seeking asylum is a right under international human rights law.

Refugee: A person granted leave to remain in the UK “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion”(1951 Refugee Convention). Generally, refugee status lasts for 5 years, after which people can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain or, if safe, return home. Refugees are permitted to work.

Economic migrant: Someone who has moved to another country for employment reasons, based on personal choice.

Currently, there are four main pathways by which the government, through the Home Office, manages the process for asylum seekers and refugees coming to the UK:

National Dispersal Scheme: When people arrive in the UK seeking asylum they are assigned accommodation while their application is registered and then moved to a dispersal city/town, where they are again accommodated until a decision is reached. They cannot choose where they are sent.

Gateway Protection Programme: This allows an annual quota of up to 750 particularly vulnerable refugees living outside their home country to resettle permanently in the UK. Applicants are referred by UNHCR and do not have to apply for asylum. The

majority will have lived in refugee camps for several years and have no prospect of returning home.

Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme: Launched in January 2015 and modestly extended in September, the VPRS will offer 20,000 Syrian refugees protection in the UK over the next five years. The scheme, which accepts only people from camps in countries surrounding Syria, prioritizes survivors of torture and violence, and women and children at risk or in need of medical care.

Afghan Interpreters Relocation Scheme: Open to interpreters who put themselves in physical danger while working alongside British military personnel in Afghanistan, this scheme has been in operation since April 2014.

The Home Secretary has recently announced that a new scheme enabling community groups to sponsor refugees to settle in the UK may also be introduced.

“You have to understand that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.”

Warsan Shire, British–Somali poet

Photo by Lydia Geissler

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Asylum seekers and refugees in Devon

Devon has, as we have seen, a long history of welcoming refugees and many have stayed to enrich our communities, bringing them new cultural diversity, new skills and businesses, and new social ties and friendships. However, with few exceptions, local councils, like central government, have been slow to respond to the current heightened crisis. This is in stark contrast to the upsurge of support and empathy demonstrated by local people and the growing number of local refugee welcome groups appearing throughout the county.

The good news is that, while the government’s response is not yet nearly generous enough, plans are at last under way for a small increase in the number of asylum seekers and refugees to be welcomed to Devon. We at Refugee Support Devon and Exeter City of Sanctuary applaud these plans. However, we call upon both local and central government to speed up and increase their efforts in line with the scale of the emergency and the public show of support.

When people arrive their needs can vary widely, from a helping hand to find and access services (food shops, health clinics, counselling), through English lessons, to legal assistance, support to avoid destitution and social events to stave off isolation. The one thing that benefits all, however, is a warm welcome from the local community, together with the opportunity to take part in activities, make friends and rebuild a normal life.

Government response

For the past 15 years, Plymouth City Council has offered a home to asylum seekers and refugees in need of protection, with around 300 places available at any one time under the National Dispersal Programme. It has also offered places under the Afghan Interpreters Resettlement Scheme. Until 2004, Exeter was also a dispersal city. Since then, it has remained home to a smaller but steady number of refugees and asylum seekers. In early 2015, Exeter City Council announced that the city would again become a dispersal area. As yet, the Home Office has not confirmed when this

will start or how many places will be offered. The Home Office has also said that other large towns across Devon may also become dispersal areas, but no further details have yet been made available. All dispersals will come with pre-arranged accommodation provided by private contractor Clear Springs, paid for centrally by the Home Office.

Under the Syrian VPRS any local or regional authority can volunteer to accept refugees in its area. Devon County Council has announced that Syrians will soon be arriving in Devon under this scheme and that they may have significant needs due to their vulnerable status. To meet these needs, people will be dispersed to selected cluster areas deemed able to provide sufficient support, with more specialized services to be delivered by larger and more experienced areas such as Plymouth and Exeter. As far as we understand, individual offers of accommodation will not be accepted for people arriving on this scheme. However, institutions such as the Dartington Hall Trust are exploring the possibility of providing temporary accommodation as part of a wider collective response.

Non-government response

Devon is home to a number of longstanding professional organisations that provide hands-on support to asylum seekers and refugees. Refugee Support Devon, based in Exeter but with a countywide mandate, provides cross-cutting services addressing a range of needs.

Refugee Support DevonIn 2001, local residents in and around Exeter, moved by the plight of asylum seekers and refugees arriving in the city, came together to form Refugee Support Devon. Today a small team of professional staff and around 40 dedicated volunteers continue to deliver life-changing support services, including: • Information and advice drop-in service• Personal outreach and befriending • Women’s Outreach Project• English lessons• Help to access training and find job opportunities• Allotment gardening, providing food and social interaction.

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Other support organisations in Exeter include Ubuntu, a multicultural counselling social enterprise; HIKMAT Devon, a Community Interest Company supporting people from minority ethnic backgrounds (HIKMAT also has an office in Barnstaple); the Centre for Human Rights & Social Equality; and the Olive Tree Association, which specializes in English classes and cultural exchanges. The recently formed Exeter City of Sanctuary group has a mandate to link and promote activities across the city.

Plymouth has a strong network of pro-refugee organisations, including the British Red Cross; Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support; Students and Refugees Together (START), which offers practical and emotional support; the Asylum Seekers and Refugees Mental Health Team; and Plymouth Hope, a charity promoting social inclusion through recreational activities, including football. The Plymouth & Devon Race Equality Council promotes equality of opportunity across the county.

In recent months there has been an upsurge in public awareness, compassion and support for refugees and asylum seekers. Countywide, individuals and communities have self-organised under multiple local refugee welcome groups to prepare local support activities for new arrivals and to collect items and raise money for those in need. Many are raising their voices – in meetings, social media, letters to their MPs and petitions – demanding that the UK government do more to address the crisis. Totnes Beyond Borders, a grass roots movement with a website (www.beyondborderstotnes.org.uk) where you can link with others to plan activities, has been particularly active. Also based in Totnes is Embracing Refugees, a community group that helps refugees build bridges and maintain resilience. Similar groups exist in Ashburton, Kingsbridge and Ottery St Mary, to name just three out of many.

To find out more about groups in your area or to add your own group, please visit RSD’s on-line Local Refugee Support Group Mapping project, which will be available very soon.

The power of imaginationIn September 2015, Christine Singfield organised a rally in central Exeter that drew over 600 people to express their support for refugees and asylum seekers.

At first, Christine didn’t see herself as the sort of person who would do this kind of thing. She became interested in the refugee issue early in the summer, as the crisis began to escalate. But her job and social life kept her busy – and she hesitated to move out of her comfort zone. In the end it was her imagination that compelled Christine to act. Lying awake at night after watching harrowing news coverage of refugee boats floundering off Lesbos, she found herself wondering what it would feel like to be so afraid of home that she had to leave in this way. “What would I want when I reached the other side?” she asked herself. “Compassion”, came the answer. “Enough food, medicine, shelter to survive – and the opportunity to rebuild my life, somewhere safe. I felt our government was not doing nearly enough to provide these things.”Christine knew she had to do something herself – but what? She saw via social media that a march was being planned in London and that one of the organisers said he had never done anything like this before. “If he can do it, I can,” she thought. A few days later Christine pressed the button on Facebook to advertise the Exeter rally. Immediately, people she’d never met before got in touch to offer help. Banners were made, speakers lined up and the media alerted. “It felt amazing,” says Christine, “an extraordinary example of the community coming together through the power of social media.”The rally was a success, raising over £2000 in just 2 hours and prompting many more people to take up the cause. But Christine will not let matters rest there: in January 2016 she travels to Lesbos to provide direct support on the front line of the crisis. It seems the rally was just the starting point of something much bigger and deeper – a sea change in her life.

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How you can make a difference

Now more than ever, asylum seekers and refugees need the support and compassion of ordinary people. This can take many forms, from small acts of kindness to wider fundraising and advocacy. Below are some ideas for how individuals and groups can have an impact, together with guidance as to when professionals are best placed to assist and how you can support them.

Make people welcome

Creating a welcoming community is the most important way of making refugees and asylum seekers feel at home in their new surroundings.

This can be as simple as giving someone a smile in the street, providing directions if a person looks lost, or placing a loaf of bread on a new neighbour’s doorstep. You can go a step further by joining or starting a local welcome group. If you take part in a social, cultural or sporting activity, you may wish to contact the nearest refugee charity to invite asylum seekers and refugees to join. Larger-scale activities could include social events to welcome newcomers and integrate them into the community. Always involve a professional service provider in planning one of these.

Many in Devon have generously offered rooms in their own homes for refugees and asylum seekers. Only rarely will such offers be taken up ¬– for example, when asylum is refused and the asylum seeker must leave the accommodation provided by government. In such cases, seek expert advice before taking someone into your own home, as they may have special needs that you will find it difficult to meet.

Volunteer

Volunteering can take many forms, from offering to cook or serve food at a social event to providing a service based on your own professional skill, such as translation or interpreting. Many volunteers find the experience hugely rewarding and develop new skills and knowledge as a result. To get involved, contact your nearest refugee charity or welcome group to discuss their needs.

Some activities, especially those involving specialized service delivery, are best provided only by volunteers who have been trained and vetted by a professional organisation. Refugee Support Devon provides induction and training for volunteers approved through its application process, together with mentoring by senior volunteers.

Exeter’s rally showed the strength of public support. Photo by Clive Chilvers

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Raise funds and donate

Charities rely on the generosity of ordinary people to make their work possible.

You can raise funds in many ways, from seeking sponsorship to complete a personal challenge, through hosting an event such as a raffle or a coffee morning, to rattling a tin on your high street. If you are interested in fundraising, get in touch with your chosen charity first, as they will offer advice and support.

Donations can be in cash or in kind. Giving money, however, is generally most useful, as professional organisations are best placed to identify and respond to needs. To make sure your money is spent well, always give to a reputable charity. One-off contributions are gratefully received, but regular donations in the form of standing orders are especially helpful, as they iron out income peaks and troughs. Use Gift Aid, so that the charity can reclaim tax.

Reputable organisations that directly assist asylum seekers and refugees include:

Local: Refugee Support Devon (Exeter), British Red Cross (Plymouth)

National: Refugee Action, National Refugee Council

International: UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

If you wish to donate items to the refugees stranded in Calais, People to People Solidarity has a drop-off point in Taunton. Be careful to provide only items that are really needed. Calaid (www.calaid.co.uk) has a list of these.

Lobby and campaign

With the gap between public goodwill and government apathy so great, making the case for change to policy makers is vital. Here’s a summary of things you could lobby and campaign for:

Raise the UK’s game: Local and central government should quickly deliver on their existing promises and scale up their efforts to accept asylum seekers and refugees so as to reflect the magnitude of the crisis

Ensure safe and legal routes: The UK should take a leading role in the development of a European response to the crisis that ensures safe and legal routes for asylum seekers, ending policies that criminalise their journeys, expose vulnerable people to extortion and abuse, and fuel the use of dangerous alternatives

Reform our asylum system: Almost every aspect of the UK’s asylum system is outdated and inhumane. It should be radically reformed to provide faster and fairer processing of applications, an end to indefinite and costly detention, and a lifting of the ban on working for asylum seekers.

“The UK is alone in detaining [asylum seekers] indefinitely, without time limit, without trial and sometimes for years on end.”Sanctuary in Parliament Briefing Paper

Methods include writing personally to your council leader, MP or MEP, signing online petitions, using social media, attending council meetings to ask questions and raise issues, and organising or attending rallies and demonstrations.

The most effective lobbying is evidence-based and makes a case for change in the broader public interest. Advice on effective lobbying is available at www.theoec.org/campaign/advocacy-toolkit

Local people listen as a refugee tells

his story at a social event in Ashburton

Raise awareness

Awareness raising is a broader set of activities directed at the public rather than at policy makers. Activities could include organising a public event, screening a film, giving talks at schools, universities or other institutions, or sharing information on social media. The City of Sanctuary website (www.cityofsanctuary.org) has an excellent slide-show that can be used for presentations.

Those of us with strong pro-refugee views can all too easily forget that others may not feel the same way. Often this comes from a place of misunderstanding or lack of knowledge about what it means to be a refugee or asylum seeker in this country. It’s up to us to debunk the myths, politely but firmly – so arm yourself well with the facts and the evidence before you present in public.

In conclusion…

We want people arriving in Devon to feel warmly welcomed, but not to overwhelm or patronize them. We need to combine sensitivity towards their needs with treatment that signals our acceptance of them as fellow members of society. By working together towards this end, we can make a huge difference to our own lives as well as those of refugees and asylum seekers.

“I am the other, the other is me. If I wish to travel towards myself, I must go through the other.”

Sufi saying

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.Dalai Lama

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Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Rick Lawrence at Samskara Design (www.samskara-design.com) for designing and laying out this brief, and to Stephen Ring (www.stephenring.com) and Clive Chilvers (www.clivechilvers.com) for permission to use the photos on pages 2 and 8.

Sources: www.lerwill-life.org.uk/history/devhugs1.htmwww.westernmorningnews.co.uk/French-Huguenot-settlers-did-South-West/story-26804676-detail/story.html www.cityofsanctuary.org/resources/raising-awareness/refugee-crisis-some-facts-and-figures/www.ipsnews.net/2015/03/syrian-conflict-has-underlying-links-to-climate-change-says-study/www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-to-see-first-hand-how-uk-aid-is-helping-most-vulnerable-syrian-refugeeswww.seekershub.org/blog/2015/09/home-warsan-shire/www.data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/regional.php#_ga=1.246975494.364413992.1447608896 Mackenzie, D. 2015. Refugees welcome: the numbers add up. In: New Scientist, 12 September 2015, pp. 10-12. London, UK. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2010. Human Development Report 2009. Overcoming Barriers: Human Mobility and Development. New York, USA.

Contact us: Refugee Support Devon/Exeter City of SanctuaryExeter Community Centre17 St Davids HillExeterDevonEX4 3RG

Tel: 01392 682185Fax: 01392 435850email: info@refugeesupportdevon.org.ukwebsite: www.rsgdevon.org.uk

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I am the other, the other is me. If I wish to travel towards myself, I must go through the other. Sufi saying

“ “I am the other, the other is me. If I wish to travel towards myself, I must go through the other. Sufi saying

“ “Published by Refugee Support Devon and Exeter City of Sanctuary