New Pact on Migration: An exacerbation of past failures in shiny new packaging


Refugee Rights Europe’s preliminary reaction to the European Commission’s Migration and Asylum Pact For years, women, men and children in displacement have suffered human rights violations across Europe: left to drown at sea, beaten, violently and illegally pushed back at EU borders, contained without dignity at the EU’s edges, returned to danger under cynical deals … Continue reading New Pact on Migration: An exacerbation of past failures in shiny new packaging

What we want to see in the New Pact on Migration and Asylum


By Barbara Joannon, Head of Programme and Advocacy  The EU Commission’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum offers an opportunity. A chance to move away from a security driven approach to migration and asylum within the EU, to one based on human dignity, the rule of law and human rights. But the New Pact comes … Continue reading What we want to see in the New Pact on Migration and Asylum

The UK Channel crossings – what’s happening?


The past weeks have seen a sharp increase in media coverage of small boat crossings by desperate individuals trying to reach the UK from northern France. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently branded these Channel crossings “a very bad and stupid and dangerous and criminal thing to do”. Meanwhile, Home Secretary Priti Patel says she … Continue reading The UK Channel crossings – what’s happening?

Asylum Seekers Face Isolation and Destitution amid Covid-19


By Loraine Masiya Mponela Loraine Masiya Mponela, the chairperson of Coventry Asylum and Refugee Action Group (CARAG), reflects on the unique challenges being faced by asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in the UK during the pandemic. Asylum seekers are people whose request for protection is yet to be processed. International law provides that anyone has … Continue reading Asylum Seekers Face Isolation and Destitution amid Covid-19

Urgent communication to seven UN Special Rapporteurs regarding France’s COVID-19 response


We are delighted to have supported the issuing of an urgent communication to seven UN Special Rapporteurs concerning the treatment of persons without access to adequate housing during the COVID-19 pandemic in France. The Committee for Refugee Relief, alongside Refugee Rights Europe and 91 organisations, have made a submission to 7 UN Special Rapporteurs to … Continue reading Urgent communication to seven UN Special Rapporteurs regarding France’s COVID-19 response

Coronavirus as a pretext for detention? On the latest disconcerting developments in Calais


By Luke Buckler  The recently reelected mayor of Calais Natacha Bouchart has proposed the state repurpose a disused military base near Calais as a place to confine the displaced people in the region. This plan might be presented as a helpful measure to support people who otherwise don’t have shelter, or a way for them … Continue reading Coronavirus as a pretext for detention? On the latest disconcerting developments in Calais

Protection is urgently needed for young asylum seekers in the UK


By Laura Keen Under the current system, young asylum seekers between the ages of 18 and 25 receive no additional services or care despite being incredibly vulnerable. Most will have left home as children and grown up in incredibly harmful and traumatic environments, but are left isolated and unsupported once they reach the UK. To … Continue reading Protection is urgently needed for young asylum seekers in the UK

The experiences of women in asylum accommodation: unsanitary and unsafe


By Aileen Voit The recent report by Refugee Rights Europe, researched in collaboration with MEENA Centre for Women and Children and the Baobab Women’s Project in Birmingham, raises considerable concern about the living standards for asylum-seeking women in the UK. In the United Kingdom, asylum seekers are entitled to be provided with accommodation and small … Continue reading The experiences of women in asylum accommodation: unsanitary and unsafe

The end of the journey? Young asylum seekers and the struggle for stability in the UK


By Helena Eynon, RRE volunteer researcher. “The definition of home for these young people is not where they came from but where they can find a new life in safety. But many struggle to find this in the UK.”  Samer Mustafa, RRE Young refugees and asylum seekers in the UK often face unique and complex … Continue reading The end of the journey? Young asylum seekers and the struggle for stability in the UK