Information - Portsmouth City of Sanctuary

Refugee
The definition of a refugee according to The 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees is: “A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it. ”In the UK, a person becomes a refugee when HMG agrees and accepts that an individual who has applied for asylum meets the definition in the Refugee Convention; the government will ‘recognise’ that person as a refugee and issue them with refugee status documentation. Usually refugees in the UK are given five years’ ‘leave to remain’ and must then apply for further ‘leave’ before this period ends.

Asylum seeker
A person who has left their country of origin and formally applied for asylum in another country, but whose application awaits a decision, positive or otherwise. Many are ‘dispersed’ to ‘dispersal cities’ such as Portsmouth, often waiting for some years to know their fate.

Refused asylum seeker
A person whose asylum application has been unsuccessful and who has no other claim for protection waiting for a decision. Some asylum seekers with refused claims voluntarily return to their country of origin, whilst others are forcibly detained in Immigration Removal Centres (such as Haslar IRC in Gosport), to be eventually returned. For some, it is unsafe or impractical to physically leave the UK for a number of reasons.

Migrant
A person who has voluntarily moved to another country for other reasons, such as to find work (economic), or to study, for example. ‘Forced’ migrants are refugees, forced by persecution or war in their home country, or indeed victims and/or survivors of trafficking.

No recourse to public funds (NRPF)
A condition imposed on some migrants, due to their immigration status, limiting their access to mainstream benefits such as Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, and even Refuges.

Information and documents from our supporting organisations

State of the Nation: the UK asylum system – British Red Cross report y/e June 2023

PositiveMinds Portsmouth Information

HIVE Portsmouth

HIVE Portsmouth Directory of Services

Guide to Use of Language

My Whole Self initiative

Hate Crime Experiences of Refugees and Asylum Seekers (British Red Cross)

Support for Refugee and Asylum Seekers (British Red Cross)

Appropriate Neurodivergent Language (Flow Observatorium)

Hate Crime- A Guide for Victims and Witnesses of Hate Crime

Imagine Portsmouth: city-wide consultation

City of Sanctuary Resources

Resources (cityofsanctuary.org)

New briefing: Principles for Asylum Dispersal

As more areas will be housing people seeking asylum this checklist will equip any organisations wanting to ensure they are welcomed and supported. People should live in #CommunitiesNotCamps

Briefing Principles for Asylum Dispersal

Help for Households

In response to increasing prices and the pressures around the cost of living, the Government has launched the ‘Help for Households campaign‘ to raise awareness of the support available amongst those that need it most and help build consumer confidence. The campaign aims to explain the different schemes available (including new, exceptional one-off payments and existing benefits and schemes), and making public aware of the actions that government – and businesses – are taking. Besides the Government support via benefits, the Gov.uk webpage includes a link to discounts and offers that may be helpful.

Know your rights guide

Migrants Rights Network have put together a very useful guide to help migrants understand their rights and how to assert them. Read it here.

University Project on loneliness among migrant and ethnic minority groups

.A cross-faculty team from the University of Sheffield, Brunel and De Montfort Universities have focused on better understanding loneliness among migrant and ethnic minority groups, aiming to identify successful approaches to reducing loneliness among them. While loneliness is increasingly recognised as a social problem with significant implications for mental and physical health, research addressing these issues within these groups is limited and they may face increased risks.

The chief investigator on the project, remarked: “This was an exciting project in which we worked with members of the public to assess and summarise the existing research evidence. The project was unusual in looking beyond older people to consider loneliness at all ages and life-stages.” More info can be found here: Sheffield University website & NIHR Journals library pages and an excellent & concise graphic booklet that summarises the findings available online too.

Lifeline For All Report from The Children’s Society

This report addresses a main driver of poverty amongst children in modern-day Britain: the no recourse to public funds condition placed on their leave to remain or associated with their parents’ immigration status.

Safeguarding black girls from child sexual exploitation

This short publication discusses why the evidence base about child sexual abuse of black girls and women is limited, and what is known from the current research. It explains the biases that may come in to play even when practitioners and services have good intentions to be inclusive, and how to work to address these. It also provides tips to help you critically reflect on how language such as ‘BAME’ can influence thinking and practice.

Portsmouth FGM Operational Group

These resources draw on research and evidence from global efforts to end female genital mutilation (FGM) to highlight some key lessons for sustaining progress and effecting change.

The Population Council Report emphasises the need to understand local variations in the practice and tailored interventions; that social and cultural underpinnings of the practice are changing; the central role of the health sector; and that while laws are necessary they require social legitimacy.

28 Too Many Model Law picks up on this last point, highlighting key features that any anti-FGM law should include as a minimum to be effective. The report recognises that while laws alone cannot end FGM and will need to be adapted to individual countries’ contexts, their absence fundamentally undermines efforts to eradicate it.

The Berer article* focuses on the criminalisation of FGM in the UK, and provides a cautionary tale about anti-FGM law by highlighting the injustice can arise from the pursuit of FGM prosecutions, in spite of good public health intentions.

*Berer, M. (2020) ‘ Prosecution of female genital mutilation in the United Kingdom: Injustice at the intersection of good public health intentions and the criminal law’ Medical Law International Volume: 19 issue: 4, page(s): 258-281

Right to Remain has developed an online version of the Asylum Navigation board game. Information Cards and Problem Cards help participants to understand each step of the UK asylum system and what people can do to be in a better position.