IN one tragic accident last week, five people – including a child – lost their lives while attempting to cross the Channel to reach the UK.
This deeply upsetting news was a terrible reminder of how people around the world are forced to flee their homes, and the terrible risks they will often take just to reach a place of safety. It underscored the need to provide safe routes and treat people seeking asylum with kindness and compassion.
This tragic news broke just hours after the UK Government’s Rwanda Bill was passed, after prolonged legal challenges. I, and all Scottish Government ministers, have opposed the bill at every stage and we are appalled that the UK Government has forced it through. People seeking asylum are among the most vulnerable in the world and the most in need of our compassion and support, and this will have very severe consequences for them.
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It may be hard to imagine now, but the UK was a founding signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. This sets out the rights and standards of treatment that those facing a threat to their life or freedom deserve. The UK Government should be upholding this, rather than undermining international protection and penalising the people who need our protection.
Not only is the bill morally repugnant, it also won’t work. When we have seen people putting their lives in danger by crossing the Channel to reach safety, it seems highly unlikely that the threat of being sent to Rwanda will be an effective deterrent. The UK Government should instead focus on making the asylum system fit for purpose and working through the backlog, while ensuring there is adequate funding for councils to support people seeking asylum.
The Rwanda Bill is one of the starkest illustrations you can get of how vastly different the values of the Scottish and UK governments are. While the UK Government focuses on deterring people seeking asylum from coming to the UK, Scottish ministers will continue to do all we can – within the limits of our powers and fixed budget – to support and nurture those seeking safety on our shores.
Earlier this month, we announced £3.6 million in Scottish Government funding for Scottish Refugee Council’s Refugee Support Service. This funding will allow them to continue supporting people to settle into communities and rebuild their lives here – including helping them to access health, housing, welfare and employment support.
We also recently updated our New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy, which outlines how solidarity, dignity and respect are at the heart of all our work to support refugees and people seeking asylum. Developed in close partnership with Scottish Refugee Council and Cosla, it sets out how we will continue to work together to help people integrate into communities from the day they arrive and support them to understand and exercise their rights.
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While the basis of this approach has been in place for over a decade, our updated strategy will ensure that understanding trauma is at the heart of everything we do. Those forced to flee their homes because of war, or other terrible circumstances beyond their control, often experience repeated and unimaginable trauma at many stages of their journeys and our strategy seeks to ensure those working with refugees and people seeking asylum recognise the impact this may have had on their mental health and respond in ways that avoid re-traumatisation. For the first time, our approach also extends to include people at risk of and experiencing statelessness.
Horrific instability and conflicts are happening around the world, causing unimaginable destruction to lives and livelihoods. People should be able to access safe routes to seek refuge in the UK, and they should be supported once they get here. While the UK Government imposes its cruel Rwanda Bill, this Government will always treat those seeking sanctuary with dignity and respect.
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