People going through the asylum system in the UK receive just £5.80 a day from the government for basic necessities like food, medication and transport, and without the right to work, they’re some of the hardest-hit by the cost of living crisis.
It’s hard to see how any person could lead a healthy and fulfilled life on so little, let alone someone who has fled persecution and may be more vulnerable to physical and mental health issues.
I spoke with the International Federation of the Red Cross’s (IFRC) Global Lead for Migration and Displacement, Zeke Simperingham, about the ways in which the cost of living crisis is impacting refugees and asylum seekers around the world.
“That’s a confluence of factors where the cost has gone up, and the amount of support we can give has gone down. You don’t have to be an economic expert to realise that’s got an impact on their purchasing power each month,” Zeke said.
“This is not a luxury grant, it’s one that is for basic necessities and emergencies. It’s tied to the basic, safe and dignified life that everyone should be entitled to.”
Zeke added that as cost of living rises, governments around the world need to be prepared that more refugees and asylum seekers may need to rely on social protection mechanisms for support.
“Whether it’s housing, livelihood, support for school materials, governments need to be able to provide for them and plan for that.”
However, Zeke warned that government support can result in host communities feeling like refugees are taking what they themselves need during a time when they are also struggling.
“That initial welcome to refugees can diminish when people feel like they aren’t even having their own basic needs met and think, why should refugees and other migrants be prioritised?”
Zeke said to mitigate this, it’s important that organisations like the Red Cross explain to the host community how the system actually works. This article from the British Red Cross is a great resource.
Sadly, less than one percent of the world’s refugees actually get settled in a new country. Millions languish in refugee camps for several years as they wait for their opportunity to get resettled.
I asked Zeke whether he thought states would be considering dropping their refugee quota numbers in light of the cost of living crisis. He said he had not heard of this, but as it is a voluntary commitment called a humanitarian gesture, it would be easy for governments to reduce their numbers if they wanted to.
He also highlighted that countries’ humanitarian budgets, including the United Kingdom’s, were slashed before the cost of living crisis even hit, affecting programmes in refugee camps.
“I can only imagine that’s going to further reduced,” he said.
The header image of a group of asylum seekers on their way to the European Union was sourced from Adjin Kamber/AdobeStock.
Be First to Comment