Let the children in

Editorials

Let the children in

Across Europe 90,000 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum last year. Responding to this situation requires solidarity between EU members. Migrant Voice are deeply concerned at the argument made by the UK government that bringing in some of these children may result in more children being sent on a risky journey into Europe. We can’t let children die or fall into the worst kinds of exploitation just so that we can send a message back to others. Do we want a dead or trafficked child as our message? The Director of…

Across Europe 90,000 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum last year. Responding to this situation requires solidarity between EU members. Migrant Voice are deeply concerned at the argument made by the…

Hearing the people at the centre of it all

As Europe was negotiating the ‘one in, one out’ deal with Turkey, and two days after Macedonia shut its border, I went to Athens to find out more about the situation and to speak to what I thought to be the last groups of refugees reaching the shores of Greece. My first destination was the Piraeus seaport, 20 minutes by train on the Green Line from Monastiraki station in Athens city centre. I followed directions there from Voula Antwan, who with her husband founded the humanitarian organisation ‘Bridges’. She told…

As Europe was negotiating the ‘one in, one out’ deal with Turkey, and two days after Macedonia shut its border, I went to Athens to find out more about the…

they do not come to claim benefits

In the lead up to the EU referendum, Migrant Voice is concerned about the way EU migrants are represented as a burden, with a debate constantly focusing on benefits and numbers. “We know from our members they come here to work, not to claim benefits. This debate doesn’t reflect the facts and we are concerned that it leads to hostility towards EU migrants. It does not serve the referendum debate and is also damaging to community cohesion. We should be welcoming the contributions that European migrants make to all sectors of…

In the lead up to the EU referendum, Migrant Voice is concerned about the way EU migrants are represented as a burden, with a debate constantly focusing on benefits and…

detrimental to migrants and British public services

Migrant Voice is concerned that immigration rules coming into effect this April could starve Britain of vital talent in sectors facing skills-shortages, including the public sector. Non-EU migrants who have lived in the UK for five years but earn less than £35,000 will be denied settlement and face deportation. The Government’s continued focus on reducing net migration figures and increasingly restrictive immigration rules are underestimating the vital role & value of contribution that migrants make to the UK. Migrant Voice believes such policies are unjust and detrimental to both migrants…

Migrant Voice is concerned that immigration rules coming into effect this April could starve Britain of vital talent in sectors facing skills-shortages, including the public sector. Non-EU migrants who have…

Safe legal routes needed

People at the Calais migrant camp, who are fleeing violence and persecution, have human rights and should have a safe legal route to seek protection, Migrant Voice Director Nazek Ramadan told BBC Radio Cumbria. “I spoke to lots of people in Calais and most wanted to come to the UK because they have immediate family here, or an established community that can help to support them,” she said in an interview on BBC Radio Cumbria’s Breakfast show on 13th January. Following two visits to the Calais “Jungle”, Nazek spoke out…

People at the Calais migrant camp, who are fleeing violence and persecution, have human rights and should have a safe legal route to seek protection, Migrant Voice Director Nazek Ramadan…

MV urges UK to show more compassion

The UK Government should show more compassion for Syrian refugees who face deportation because they have travelled to the UK from other European countries to join relatives, Migrant Voice Director Nazek Ramadan told BBC News. Migrant Voice is calling on the Home Secretary to exercise discretion when applying the Dublin Regulations, on the basis on the spirit of the law, and to show more compassion towards asylum seekers affected by these rules. In recent months, Migrant Voice has seen more and more Syrians (and others) who have arrived in the…

The UK Government should show more compassion for Syrian refugees who face deportation because they have travelled to the UK from other European countries to join relatives, Migrant Voice Director…

Let the children in

Editorials