Migrant Action

Empowerment Advocacy Justice

A CALL TO ACTION!

by

Sadly, largely the tone and narratives on migration is becoming increasingly hostile. Government policies and political discourses convey a commitment to pursue with relentless gusto an anti-migration agenda unless it serves its domestic priorities.

The purpose of this torrent of hostile anti-migration policies across Europe is to force migrants into pathways of inhumane and degrading treatment that violates their humanity, human rights and for some their right to life.

What can we do?

Migrant Action is working with partner across the UK and in Europe to mark the 3rd of October as a day of ‘Welcome and Memory’. This campaign commemorates October 3rd when 368 people including children, women and men lost their lives in a shipwreck off the coast of Lampedusa. http://www.snapshotsfromtheborders.eu/

Please support the Snapshots from the Borders campaign for a human rights-based approach to migration and solidarity with migrants.  

The aim is to get 25 000 signatures to push the EU parliament for policy change, and to shift towards a human rights-based approach to migration. Over 10,000 people have signed so far, please help us reach our target, and enable representation for this in the European Parliament.

You can sign the petition here: bit.ly/2LHJ6W6 and forward to your networks.

If you are in Leeds or able to travel to Leeds, We’d also like to invite you to come to our free screenings of 2 Award-winning films, which we are putting on with Leeds Film Festival:

 24th October: To the Four Winds – the story of a ‘heroic’ French people smuggler, who helps migrants to safety. 5-7pm at Leeds University, Rupert Beckett Lecture Theatre, Michael Sadler Building. Free food and drinks!

30th October: Revenir – a unique insight, which follows the ‘real-life’ journey of a migrant from the Ivory Coast. 6-8pm Belgrave Music Hall. Free drinks for the first 40 people

Let’s work together in solidarity to change policy and make a difference in people’s lives!

Migrant Action Director Fidelis Chebe sharing the campaign on Fever FM

Happy New Year from Migrant Action

Dear friends of Migrant Action,

In a few hours, we will be saying ‘good-bye’ to 2021 and ‘welcome’ to 2022. Thank you for your solidarity and support helping to strengthen Migrant Action’s advocacy and pursuit for migrants’ rights & justice in an increasingly challenging and complex environment.  The essence of our work is even more relevant now!

Context

BREXIT, the ‘New immigration bill which reinforces the ‘hostile environment’ policy targeting migrants, the Climate crisis, Covid-19, Systemic racism, negative press narratives fuelling anti-migrant sentiments by sections of the media, protracted conflicts, political violence, human rights violations, economic exploitation, and political marginalisation of the global south.   

These developments constitute a disturbing environment for migrant’s rights & justice.  Firstly, it engineers and sustains vulnerability and the precarious conditions that trigger more mobility of migrants across and within countries.   Secondly, it entrenches and exacerbates an infrastructure that undermine migrants’ capacity to access justice, deepen inequality, racial & social injustice and routinely negate migrant rights and dignity.  In essence, such an environment poses an existential threat to the dignity and humanity of migrants.

Our Response

Migrant Action is adapting and responding to this changing and complex context. We have expanded provision and adapted service delivery model to proactively support vulnerable migrants during the pandemic and beyond. We enhanced our delivery of crisis interventions to prevent homelessness & destitution, increased access to immigration advice for people with insecure immigration, increased integration support for new migrants, assisted more EU migrants to regularise their immigration status in the UK after Brexit.   Our advocacy work continues to promote equity of rights and justice for migrants. Essentially, Migrant Action continues to a lifeline and safety net for vulnerable migrants in this challenging environment.

Migrant Action has also strengthened its capacity and resilience in pursuit of transformational social change. The current context demands more urgency to challenge anti-migrant sentiments and policies, tackle structural inequalities, climate change, systemic racism, and social injustice. To this vein, our strategic advocacy through ‘Strengthening Hands’ partnerships to grow migrant ‘voice’, as well as our collaborative research, capacity building and campaign-based activities have been impactful.

Looking to the future

Migrant Action anticipates operating in an even more challenging context as it grapples with the issues undermining rights and justice. However, we have emerged from 2020/21 with more capacity and resilience to respond to present and future challenges working as a team with staff, volunteers, trustees, partners, funders and of course, those we serve- migrants.  Therefore, we look forward to 2022 with greater hope and fierceness commitment to rights and justice for migrants, a fair and humane immigration system and for a more equal, just, and peaceful society in which everyone including migrants can realize their full potential.

Dear friends, your solidarity remains invaluable and integral to our success, even more so, now!

Thank you and Happy New Year!

Fidelis Chebe

Director