Sara De Witt outlines why it’s important to highlight the plight of refugees and reflects on a scheme from fifty years ago which governments today could learn from.

Today is World Refugee Day .This has been marked globally since 2001, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Convention on the Status of Refugees.

On this date we think about those people who have been forced to escape areas of conflict or persecution. It is aimed at raising awareness, promoting empathy and also understanding. The message is to support refugees while upholding their rights

Currently there is a trend reflected in the media from politicians mainly from the right about immigrants and refugees. Usually the information provided is not factual and is aimed at creating fear and division among communities. They present a picture aimed at  making the public believe the UK is being invaded by people coming in small boats.

Until 2021 there were 27.1 million refugees in the world. The majority of them were living in neighbour countries. The UK had accepted a small number of refugees until then, nearly1%.  

Countries like Syria have produced  6.8 million displaced people, Afghanistan 2.7 million refugees, Venezuela 4.6 million of displaced people and the list continues with South Sudan, Myanmar and so on.

There is no legal way to travel to the UK for people seeking asylum. The UK has no refugee quotas. There have been recent schemes aimed at accepting refugees under certain conditions, such as the Ukrainian and Afghanistan schemes. The schemes for resettlement and family reunion managed by the UN in cooperation with individual countries are very complicated and rather slow. The number of people assisted in reuniting with relatives living in the UK is very small.

People seeking asylum in the UK usually have a long wait until their situation is resolved. They are not allowed to work  although many of them have skills and experience,  which would benefit the domestic economy.  They have to survive on £6.43 per day for all their needs, unless they have been placed in a settings which provides food, in which case their financial support is reduced.

It is difficult to see any understanding and empathy under the current system dealing with asylum seekers in the UK. They have the threat of being sent to Rwanda hanging over them. They also, in some cases, are placed in hostile environments. There have been a number of concerns related to the mental health of asylum seekers placed at Wethersfield, related to suicide attempts and self-harm. These people live in a setting similar to prison, isolated from the community and waiting for information about their future. They are people who escaped a situation fearing for their lives, with many having experience of torture and prison.

The Labour Party is promising to launch a new Border Security Command with 100 investigators with counter-terror powers to smash criminal gangs and strengthen our borders, but it has not said anything about setting up legal and safe ways for asylum seekers. This measure, if implemented, will contribute to people dying while trying to get asylum in the UK.

There is no mention of respecting asylum seekers’ rights. These people are not illegal; they could request asylum in any country they chose: they do not have to do it in the first county they arrive in.

The Chilean scheme

On 11th September 1973 the democratically elected government of Salvado Allende in Chile was violently overthrown by Agusto Pinochet. Allende had been elected in 1970; he had a radical programme of government, lifting millions of people out of poverty, using the country’s natural resources – cooper – to pay for this. The United States government and the CIA, with some support from richer countries, started a process of destabilization, because the Chilean example could have spread to the rest of Latin America.

Chile did not have access to any loans from international agencies. Those promoting destabilization stopped foreign investment and trade with Chile. They financed right wing media and provided money and arms to right wing extremist groups. In 1973, Pinochet, head of the armed forces, overthrew the Allende government and began the persecution, detention, torture and killing of thousands of people. Many people escaped the country and others sought refuge in the embassies of democratic countries in Santiago, the capital.

In  Great Britain the solidarity of many people started a process which would culminate in saving the life of many Chileans. Academics for Chile may have been one of the first organizations which established links with persecuted and imprisoned academics and students, putting pressure for them to receive sanctuary. The World University Service under Alan Phillips enlisted the support of Judith Hart, Labour Minister for Overseas Development after 1974. This support towards the Chileans at risk in their own country was pivotal. 

The World University Service worked with Chileans from October 1973 to 1985 and helped more than 900 Chileans complete or continue their studies in the UK. They also provided practical and moral support. They also helped some Chileans return to their country once conditions were safe.

The work of the World University Service opened the way for more integrated work with other organizations such as Oxfam, British Refugee Council. Other organizations which also provided support to Chileans refugees were the Joint Working Group for Chilean/Latin American Refugees and the Chile Committee for Human Rights – not to mention many trade unions and student unions.

Some 3,000 Chilean refugees settled in the UK. They were able to live in  Scotland, Wales and Great Britain, among their communities. They were able to work, pay taxes, study and contribute to the society which had welcomed them. Nearly half of these refugees returned to Chile once the dictatorship ended.

Hopefully, the next Labour government will set up safe and accessible routes for asylum seekers, while processing their applications promptly. In 2022, 75% of the initial decisions for those asking for asylum were granted.

This should be accompanied by a policy and practice of respect and empathy. Governments of rich countries should learn from history about the consequences of destabilizing countries. The Chilean case shows that the violation of human rights generated an exodus of people looking for sanctuary.

Sara De Witt was completing her Social Work training in Chile, when she was detained by the secret police. She  spent nearly two years in detention. After her release, she had to leave the country due to threats from the secret police. She came to the UK in December 1976,. The World University Service provided a grant and she completed a Public and Social Policy BA at Bradford University and later a Social Work training qualification at Swansea University. She subsequently worked in Social Services.

Image: Demonstration in support of refugees, London, March 2924. c/o Labour Hub.