ENGAGE THE UNHEARD TRUTH
FEBRUARY 2024
CONTENTS GOVERNMENT: RISHI SUNAK’S ANTI-IMIGRATION BILL (1) AMNESTY AND THE BILL’S EFFECT ON IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUIM SEEKERS (2) QUAKER OPINIONS ON STOP
THE BOATS (3) ACTIVITIES (4)
PETER BENENSON FOUNDER OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
'It’s the publicity function of Amnesty that I think has made its name so widely known, not only to readers in the world, but to governments - and that’s what matters.'
Government: Rishi Sunak’s anti-immigration bill On the 7th of December 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a speech as part of his Stop the Boats campaign. In his (roughly) 20 minute speech, he explained the details of the government’s new policy, clarifying at the very beginning of his speech that they are the “toughest anti-immigration law(s) ever.” Until recently, there have been multiple different ways migrants can get into the country, such as claiming asylum, violation of their human rights, or being victims of modern slavery. All of these have now been blocked, along with all other explanations covered in the human rights act. This makes it incredibly hard for those escaping from other countries to seek refuge here, as Rishi Sunak himself stated “we have set the bar so high, that it will be vanishingly rare for anyone to meet it.” Since he made his contro-
versial speech he has been met by huge amounts of criticism. One such person who disagreed with Sunak was the well-known journalist Andrew Marr, who has expressed massive distrust in Sunak’s laws on immigration since the beginning of 2023 when he stated “how do you return people to Afghanistan, who have fled the Taliban and who are desperate not to go back? What do you do about people who don’t want to return to Yemen or Somalia with the civil wars there?” While Sunak did state that those who are under imminent threat will not necessarily be forced back to the places they have fled from, it is impossible to ignore the fact that huge numbers of people come to Britain on small boats and it is absurdly cruel to send back such a huge number of people to a place they will not be safe, simply because the government wishes to reduce illegal
migration. To neglect the fact that many people who arrive on small boats are escaping danger, is to neglect the very lives of those people who are put in danger as a direct symptom of this new, broken system.
Amnesty and the bill’s effect on immigration and asylum seekers Amnesty is very clear on its views on the right to seek refuge. They follow the lead of Article 14 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that Everyone has the right to seek and enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. The declaration also says that all [people have the right to not be sent back to the country they came from. This also applies to freedom from being persecuted if they were to enter a country without permission whilst fleeing. Amnesty’s main goal is to lobby governments to create change in their asylum-seeking and immigration infrastructure to create a fair and effective system that is accessible to all. They also condemn any government that creates policies that actively harm the rights of asylum seekers, migrants, or refugees. Amnesty defines refugees as people who have been forced to leave their country of origin due to perse-
cution or human rights violations. These risks have got to the point where there is no choice for them but to flee from their own safety and seek refuge elsewhere as the government where they are living is unable or unwilling to protect them from these risks. Refugees have a right to international protection. They define an asylum seeker as someone fleeing their country because of persecution or human rights violations but are yet to have a decision for their asylum claim and are therefore not legally recognised as a refugee. Seeking asylum is a human right so everyone has the right to seek asylum in another country if they feel it is necessary. There's no international legal definition of a migrant but amnesty defines migrants as people who are living outside of their country of origin but do not meet the criteria of a refugee or asylum seeker. This does not mean that going back to
their home country would not be dangerous as there are many reasons that someone might choose to become a migrant. For example: gang violence, poverty, natural disasters or political unrest. Even though there is no legal definition they're still entitled to their human rights and governments must respect them.
However, Amnesty views it as important to understand that these are only temporary labels and the fact is that they are people. These labels are simply legal terms that cannot and should not be used to understand a person fully. We are all unique people and these labels do not define people.
Quaker opinions on stop the boats
Quakers believe that the testimony to equality should determine our treatment of migrants and asylum seekers. They also recognise that firstly war and secondly economic inequality are the primary factors for migration. As of March last year, Quakers have described the new migration bill as inhumane. The bill would ban people entering the UK via irregular routes from claiming asylum or re -entering in the future. They would be detained on arrival and the home secretary would have a duty to deport them to Rwanda or another country. There are also plans for an annual cap on the number of refugees accepted into the UK. Quakers in Britain argue that the plants will violate the UK’s duties under international law. Under the Refugee Convention, the UK has a duty to offer sanctuary to people fleeing persecution no matter how many countries they
pass through or how they arrive. Quakers believe that people fleeing violence, poverty, disasters or persecution should be treated with kindness and compassion rather than being subjected to further harm. “We are committed to working for a world where dignity and rights are upheld regardless of migration status and not on the basis of citizenship or perceived deservedness. Our faith calls us to work alone and with others for migration justice.” - QUNO (Quaker United Nations Office)
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