York must welcome more Afghan refugees – William Gomes

I have been campaigning on this issue for several months. It was a sense of accomplishment when it was announced that City of York Council would accept a small number of Afghan refugees.

I campaigned, and continue to campaign, for the city’s political leaders to begin by welcoming 100 families; they are willing to accept a much smaller number like they did when the city welcomed Syrian refugees.

I am aware that political leaders must consider numerous practical issues, such as housing and not upsetting the voter base that opposes refugees for a variety of reasons. What doesn’t help, however, is how leaders in York keep the process highly hidden, claiming that they have to keep the refugees secure.

This approach doesn’t engage with alternative perspectives very much. That, I believe, is a mistake since, in the end, many Syrian refugees now freely move and live in the city, and these Afghans will have to do the same, meeting both people who welcomed them and those who oppose their arrival.

While it is reasonable to keep confidential where they will live upon arrival and where they will live in the future, the process of allocating benefits – determining who will fund their housing, deciding what they are entitled to and what supports they will receive in the days and years ahead – should be transparent and public.

Politicians, I believe, do not want to do so because they will encounter criticism from local residents because they have failed various groups in the city, including homeless people and young families who have been waiting for homes for years.

It is criticisms of their inability to serve the local populace, particularly in terms of housing and other facilities, that they wish to safeguard against, not the refugees.

However, there has always been, and will always be, a group of individuals made scapegoats in society; in this case, it may be refugees. In the past, it was other migrants who were made scapegoats and blamed for cross-party political failures.

When Syrian refugees first arrived in York, a national refugee charity with no experience or knowledge of the city was given the task of providing post-arrival support to them for an extended period of time.

But when the support package ran out, they were left to rely on local refugee charities such as Refugee Action York and York City of Sanctuary, who do their best with very limited resources and a very dedicated volunteer base.

However, things could have been done differently and better; I have made specific recommendations to York City Council members and hope they listen and act differently this time.

City of York Council lacks a clear refugee strategy, which I have been campaigning for with cross-party political leaders for several months. 
This has yet to see the light of day. The council urgently requires a holistic strategy that will examine all services 
and how they can improve equality 
for refugees and asylum seekers in the city.

There also needs to be dedicated focus on how to specifically help women who are often left behind from refugee communities because of their childcare responsibilities. They often fail to learn English, which prevents them from settling into the host community.

Previously, Syrian refugees received dedicated childcare services and group English lessons that assisted many of them in learning the language and some continued their education. The current government has created a different tired system of asylum seeking in which Syrians and Afghans who arrive on government schemes are treated differently than those who seek asylum in the United Kingdom.

Given all this, an open and transparent forum on refugees is required. This should include cross-party politicians, city council officials, local MPs, representatives from various relevant authorities, charities and 
service providers that work with refugees, school leadership, and most importantly, people who have experience of seeking asylum.

If the city’s leadership fail to do so, they will fail a generation of refugees who have been failed by their states and political leaders in the past and will be failed and marginalised again.

William Gomes is a human rights activist, and was previously a visiting fellow at the University of York.

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