The ‘small boats,’ we are told they bring in dangerous criminals and are a financial drain on the economy. Should we be concerned about this, and are there other problems we should be aware of?
Jonathan Metzer, a barrister who specialises in human rights law, from Jewish Human Rights organisation René Cassin, spoke to Gilly Hope on BBC Radio Newcastle last Sunday to discuss this very topic. His words may come as a revelation to many:
- Just 2-4% of total immigration per year is via small boats.
- The UK press and some politicians claim many immigrants are criminals and sexual offenders who pose a danger to women. In reality, most sex offences are committed by a friend or family member of the victim. Immigrants hardly fall into this category.
- The asylum system is not working due to the current backlog which arose when the Conservative government chose to pause dealing with claims when the Rwanda scheme was started.
- Hotel accommodation provided is not luxury; it’s very basic and only used because no social housing is available.
- The government decided to stop asylum seekers from working for six months. Most of them would like to work and contribute tax to our country.
So many of these people are genuine refugees who for example have spoken out against the regime in Iran. Jonathan is a descendant of Jewish refugees who came to Britain fleeing the Holocaust and knows only too well what the human stories are behind the narratives.
Two hundred groups have signed a letter to the government to apply fairer policies. They called for both practical solutions, which would allow refugees to work more quickly and contribute to UK tax, and a focus on human stories rather than divisive narratives.
An official refugee ‘safe route’ would help Britain to control its borders more efficiently. It would put the people traffickers and illegal operators out of business, for starters. Refugees should be allowed to work sooner. This would minimise costs.
Governments have messed up, the Conservatives in particular. Fuelling hatred without mentioning the facts is wrong.
Women and violence
Let’s put this into perspective. Violence towards women is frequently fuelled by uncontrolled social media, which masquerades as ‘freedom of speech’ in the minds of some politicians such as Tice and Farage.
The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women has called out the resurgence of right-wing politics and patriarchal attitudes which undermines women’s rights, as a real threat to women. Technology is to blame for much of this. However, the basic root cause of violence against women and girls is negative patriarchal values.
Women’s Rights organisations are under attack globally; many are forced to shut down while others are expected to do more with fewer financial resources. This is a major challenge as the scale and complexity of gender-based violence continue to grow. Such organisations are invaluable in bringing evidence-based insights into the design of policies. Funding that matches the scale of the crisis is vital to eradicate violence against women.
Prevention requires sustained, long-term investment
Civil society and women’s organisations have been instrumental in ensuring that any national plans deliver. Diversity policies are very important to national wellbeing and success of campaigns to protect women. Withdrawal of diversity budgets would therefore be more cause for alarm regarding women’s safety than the very small number of refugees who commit offences. Let’s put that into perspective:
- Every ten minutes a woman or girl is killed ‘by someone close to her.’
- A third of women killed by intimate partners had previously reported some form of violence.
Within the European Convention for Human Rights (ECHR), women enjoy a number of protections, which we have outlined in a previous article.
Patriarchal narratives, which discount the value of diversity projects to decrease negative attitudes to women, simply do not help to keep women safe. Tearing up Britain’s membership of the ECHR, under the guise that this prevents Britain from deporting asylum seekers, would put women’s rights several steps back. If the problem of violence against women is home grown, upholding human rights principles for women in this Country becomes even more important.
Divisive narratives
Politicians who make unsubstantiated claims are not only fuelling violence and hatred. They simply have not done their homework on consulting official statistics, and are therefore not doing the job they were appointed to do in the service of the people. The divisive narratives are also wasting police time when these provoke riots, time which would be better spent on protecting those are truly at risk, such as women in their own homes who make urgent calls. Some of these domestic violence cases were not prioritised and this has led to women being murdered.
Northumbria Police revealed in recent weeks that hiring specialists in domestic violence in their emergency call centres has enabled the force to spot urgent cases more effectively. Diversity tools turn into very important practical crime fighting strategies.
While railing against the boats and expressing concerns against violence committed against women, Reform MPs have voted against legislation to prevent upskirting, stalking, harassment, and the spiking of drinks. They also put an end to spending in councils on so called unnecessary diversity projects.
Underlying principles of human rights
In the new era characterised by Brexit, Trump, the rise of nationalism, and weakening of international norms and institutions, the underlying principles of human rights, and even of the rule of law, are coming under sustained attack.
Principles that have been hard fought for and had appeared firmly entrenched are now being questioned and attacked. The system of human rights protections, largely rooted in the Jewish experience in Europe from 1933-45, is being casually discarded.
Further information on ‘Together with Refugees’ here.
