Migration Matters

Manchester votes to stop destitution

Last week refugees, activists and Charities in Manchester were uplifted by the news that Manchester Council had voted unanimously in favour of a motion against destitution – becoming the eleventh Council to take this step. The motion raises concerns about the effects of poverty and homelessness on the wellbeing and dignity of people who have come here to seek safety and had their cases refused. Councillors also raised concerns about Home Office decision making and the pervasive culture of disbelief towards those who apply for refugee protection – especially noticeable…

Last week refugees, activists and Charities in Manchester were uplifted by the news that Manchester Council had voted unanimously in favour of a motion against destitution – becoming the eleventh…

Opinions on migration a familiar clash

The clash of opinions over Immigration shown in 'Evaporating Borders' — a documentary on the treatment of migrants in southern Cyprus — will be familiar to citizens of virtually all Western European countries. On the one hand, there’s discontent over foreign faces and voices and reports of unearned benefits for people seeking asylum: on the left hand are liberals insisting that everyone should be treated fairly and equally wherever they are from and whyever they are in the country. Filmmaker Ida Radivojevic is in a good position to observe the…

The clash of opinions over Immigration shown in 'Evaporating Borders' — a documentary on the treatment of migrants in southern Cyprus — will be familiar to citizens of virtually all…

The man who took on genocide

Raphael Lemkin died - ignored, frustrated, exhausted - almost as anonymously as his parents, who perished in the Holocaust. His success story is movingly chronicled in 'Watchers of the Sky.' Success it is - if unfinished and under threat - because it was his inventiveness , commitment and perseverance that ultimately led to the definition and classification of the crime of genocide, to agreement on a Genocide Convention and, ultimately, to the establishment of the International Criminal Court. For Lemkin knew an awful truth: that there is a universal…

Raphael Lemkin died - ignored, frustrated, exhausted - almost as anonymously as his parents, who perished in the Holocaust. His success story is movingly chronicled in 'Watchers of the…

Somali's in Oslo - new report

Somalis in Oslo explores the experiences of Norwegian-Somalis living in Oslo, focusing on five areas of local policy—employment, education, health, political participation, and policing—as well as the broader themes of identity and belonging. Norway has only recently become a country hosting any substantial number of immigrants; the past decade has seen a surge in annual immigration, with numbers almost doubling between 2005 and 2011. People of Somali origin make up a small percentage of the overall immigrant population, but are among the largest refugee groups. Somali immigrants in Norway are…

Somalis in Oslo explores the experiences of Norwegian-Somalis living in Oslo, focusing on five areas of local policy—employment, education, health, political participation, and policing—as well as the broader themes of…

Family Migration - Impact of New Rules

New rules wreak havoc Last year Home Secretary Theresa May laid rules on family immigration before Parliament in an obscure procedure and wreaked havoc on thousands of people’s lives. UK spouses with non-EU partners were expected to be earning £18,600 before they could ‘sponsor’ their other half for a visa to join them in the UK, rising to £22,400 to also bring one child, and £2,400 for each further child. This prevents 47% of the UK working population from sponsoring a foreign partner according to the Migration Observatory. Research at Middlesex University…

New rules wreak havoc Last year Home Secretary Theresa May laid rules on family immigration before Parliament in an obscure procedure and wreaked havoc on thousands of people’s lives. UK spouses…

Scottish independence

How migrants will vote in next year’s Scottish referendum on independence, and the impact of the vote on migrants, has hardly been discussed - but there are signs of controversy to come. The Scottish National Party is one of the few nationalist parties in the world to favour immigration, because of the country’s small population of 5.3 million and low birthrate, while the Government in London is committed to a severe reduction in immigration. A Yes vote for independence could lead to a clash over the issue. Michael Moore, the Coalition…

How migrants will vote in next year’s Scottish referendum on independence, and the impact of the vote on migrants, has hardly been discussed - but there are signs of controversy…

How migrants stay in touch

Most migrants yearn to maintain contact with their families, friends and homelands. But how they do so depends on the changing technologies at their disposal. Not so long ago illiterate migrants had to go to a friend or professional letter-writer. The result tended to be formal and impersonal, because it’s not easy – and sometimes not safe – to express your feelings and divulge your secrets via a third party. Most people are too inhibited and cautious even to try. And for literate senders and receivers there’s the problem of time-lapse. An…

Most migrants yearn to maintain contact with their families, friends and homelands. But how they do so depends on the changing technologies at their disposal. Not so long ago illiterate…

Tibetan refugees take refuge in art

There’s a brief chance to see some moving drawings and paintings by Tibetan refugees, at a small exhibition at Rich Mix in east London. The artworks are by children who have trekked across the Himalayas on foot into Nepal and India, sent by their parents who hope they will get a Tibetan education and a better life across the border. It’s a dangerous, sometimes deadly, journey, over mountain passes in extreme weather. Conditions are dangerous because the guides frequently choose to move in winter when Chinese border patrols are…

There’s a brief chance to see some moving drawings and paintings by Tibetan refugees, at a small exhibition at Rich Mix in east London. The artworks are by children…

Congo: bringing history to life

“The least we can do is know what happened,” says Joe Wright, director of 'A Season in the Congo' at the Young Vic in London. I agree: that alone is reason enough to stage a neglected play about a forgotten episode in history. A Season in the Congo Few people born after the year of Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba’s assassination in 1961 know about the scarcely credible murderousness, greed and sadism of Belgian colonial rule and the country’s total lack of preparation for independence, and few now are…

“The least we can do is know what happened,” says Joe Wright, director of 'A Season in the Congo' at the Young Vic in London. I agree: that alone…

‘Wow! How good is that!’

By Daniel Nelson The first picture on the left as you enter 100 Images of Migration is of Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry, originally from Grenada, who won a Victoria Cross serving with the British army in Iraq. The message is clear: immigrants are prepared to perform deeds of incredible heroism and lay down their lives for this country. But Beharry is not a symbol: he’s a man doing his best in a difficult world (whose best happens to be better than most of us will ever achieve). In the same…

By Daniel Nelson The first picture on the left as you enter 100 Images of Migration is of Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry, originally from Grenada, who won a Victoria Cross…

Migration Matters