In light of the extensive coverage refugees are getting in the press currently, we are launching a new series called Rethinking Refugee.
The purpose of this series is to encourage people to look behind the ‘refugee’ label and the negative connotations associated with it.
There has already been a lot of media coverage to counter the negative press related to refugees and asylum seekers, which is encouraging to see. Unfortunately, these articles sometimes jump to the defence of refugees in a way that can paint them as a ‘poor’ and ‘helpless’ homogeneous group. Refugees can be portrayed as people who have never been given a chance in life, are unskilled, are incapable of taking care of themselves and so must be “helped”; it’s the humanitarian thing to do, after all.
Whilst I am sure that most articles do not do this intentionally, this is an inaccurate portrayal.
Many refugees have had to give up decent jobs, a stable family life and a comfortable place in society due to sudden, unforeseen circumstances. The skills from their previous employment may go unutilised – due to language barriers, for example – and thus people may find themselves in a poverty trap within the UK.
Other refugees may have grown up in unstable countries and may not have had the opportunity to receive an official education, or may have been separated from their family, and yet had the willpower to make a long and dangerous journey across the world. These individuals may have strengths beyond our comprehension. These qualities of resilience, hope and determination go beyond the characteristics that employers traditionally look for on a CV.
The problem with viewing people as helpless is that it undermines this strength, ambition and potential. People themselves are not helpless; they are trapped in a system that is unsure of how to help them and empower them to use their unique qualities for their own benefit and the benefit of our society.
At Ashley Community Housing we view people as respected individuals. So yes, we hope to encourage people to see refugees for who they are – individual human beings – but we hope for people to look beyond this, to see people for the capabilities they possess. People with desires and ambitions, and the potential to fulfil these with the right support.
We hope that by sharing positive stories about some of our tenants, we will encourage people to challenge the “them” and “us” dichotomy present in much of the mainstream press, and to celebrate the valuable contributions that people from across the world make to our communities.
Our first instalment of the series will be out in our next newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.
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