Today the widely condemned Nationality and Borders Bill has passed, another devastating blow for those seeking safety in the UK. Here a client shares his views on ‘off shore processing’ in Rwanda, highlighting the impact of these policy decisions on those who have found asylum here;
“These proposals make me feel very very bad as a refugee and someone who built a new life in the UK. As I was thinking this is the last distance where I can spend the rest of my life with my family then to hear these proposals, I really feel hopeless.
I asked to myself; What does democracy mean? What is equality? What is the job of the human rights watch? What is UNHCR? What is their job? I have many more questions on my mind but no answers.
So, I can’t explain in words when I heard this news. I hope this couldn’t happen to refugees again the one who created eyes is also looking on them, on what they are doing, I hope he will solve it. Sometimes something happens for a reason. I hope this could be one of them.
Before I came to the UK, I didn’t know how the asylum system works. I was thinking just our country is well known in the world because of the dictatorship so they may give us a permit as a refugee easily. This is the only one thought in my mind, but when I arrived, more than my journey to the UK it was not easy to get status.
I was lucky because I got it within few months, but I know some people who do not get their permit still. This has made them in big stress. I can imagine now plus this proposal it is not easy really. Many from our country, refugees, are killing themselves because their asylum claims are refused.
No, never ever, this policy will not stop those who are trying to reach to the UK. Still, I hear from my friends who are trying to travel from France to the UK. When I explain to them for the new rules, they laughed at me and said, “Don’t worry about it, just let us reach there, nothing is worse than what we have passed.”
When we were in Sudan, we usually heard news about how people are dying in the desert and in Libya, about the boats and how many migrants are dead but we couldn’t be scared as everyone has their own chance and so we plan to try our best as well. So, my opinion on this is that there is no way they can stop them trying to reach to the UK.
It wouldn’t have deterred me from trying to come to the UK because I have passed many more problems than this.
The UK opposition, politicians and refugee groups condemned the move as “inhumane, unworkable and a waste of public money”, and the United Nations said it raised “a number of human rights concerns”. I totally agreed with them. It also crosses a line as UK has a responsibility to respect the rights for refugees not to break down the rules.
The UN and the European Union should take action on the UK as well. If no taking action on this trust me many countries will follow to the UK to move refugees to other countries of Africa slowly. This will not stop, this is what I’m scared of. We the refugees in all parts of the world should demonstrate as well in all the embassies of the UK through the world. Or let’s collect petition to stop this cruel action of the UK.
I can see the difference the war in Ukraine and the war in Ethiopia (Tigray). Rules are just written but no action on the ground. All humans in the world should be equal and should be treated equally but they are not. People are dying randomly but no one is helping them.
This is the result what we are hearing now in the UK. When any country crosses the line there should be a rule to stop them from doing it. Finally, I can understand that the rules are not working rather than writing on papers. Later on, we these who have leave to remain as well, we are not safe. This is my opinion.
Definitely these announcements affect refugees living in the UK including me. We can’t trust anymore even though we have status. They can take it anytime from our hand and take us back to Rwanda or other countries as they don’t care, and they don’t follow the rules.
From now onwards we can’t live peacefully, and we can’t trust them if this action is done to refugees. If the United Nations, European Union, USA, and other organisations can show objections on Rwanda’s president not to accept this proposal please, do so.
I appreciated some MPs are showing their objections on the plan. I hope they will win and I’m beside of them all the time.”
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