REFUSED ... and then what?

The UK Jesuit Refugee Service has issued a set of ten Action Points, suggesting ways asylum seekers and refugees can be helped.

In a leaflet entitled Refused … and then what?, JRS-UK encourages supporters to speak out against xenophobia and anti-immigration/refugee propaganda.  It also appeals for toiletries and dried goods for asylum seekers, as well as suggesting volunteering opportunities.

JRS-UK uses stories from real asylum seekers and refugees to explain why their work is so vital.  One of them, identified as Serge from Congo, said that the many locked doors at the Detention Centre he was sent to made it feel like a jail. 'I suddenly wondered if I came to England to seek asylum or to spend the rest of my life in jail,' he said.  Another - Gloria from Uganda - said that the Jesuit Refugee Service had always been there for her and her daughter: 'They give me some money to live, to feed my child and travel grants to see my solicitor.'

Refused ... and then what? also details the facilities JRS-UK provides for destitute asylum seekers, such as helping to find furniture for their first flat in the UK or referring them to medical and legal services.  The Jesuit charity also supports detainees by visiting them in the Removal Centres or by providing them with phone cards to reduce their sense of isolation.  Visiting an asylum seeker in detention is another one of the Action Points listed in the leaflet.

Copies of Refused ... and then what? can be obtained from JRS-UK at 6 Melior Street, London SE1 3QP.  Phone: 020 7357 0974 or email uk@jrs.uk


 Jesuit Refugee Service (international)