Trust Thamesmead Raises Awareness of Refugee Week

More than 150 Thamesmead shoppers have attended the first 2.5 days of Global Link's, ‘Escape to Safety' multimedia trailer which Thamesmead's leading community development agency, Trust Thamesmead not only brought to Thamesmead but the South East for the very first time, to raise awareness of Refugee Week which is taking place 18-24 June 2007.

“The response from those who have experienced ‘Escape to Safety' has been phenomenal,” said Trust Thamesmead's Marketing & Communications Officer Julia Hickson.

“It is an amazing exhibition which sees the public walk through eight ‘rooms' - starting in a war-torn country and walking through to transit and a holding area, to name just a few, to learn what it is like for a person fleeing persecution to seek asylum in Britain.

“Two of the three stories told on headsets are based on real life experiences; it really highlighted just what some people have to go through to live in a country like the U.K. that values human rights.

“It was both eye opening and emotional.”

Did you know?

There is no such thing as an illegal immigrant or illegal asylum seeker, only:

Asylum seeker - Someone who has suffered persecution and is now in a host country and has formally applied for asylum but s/he is still waiting for government to decide on their application. Asylum seekers are banned from working but are entitled to 30% less financial support than a British citizen which works out to approx £25-£36 per week.

Refugee - Once an asylum seeker has been accepted they are known as a ‘refugee'. This allows a person to stay in their chosen country for a maximum of five years when they would need to reapply. Once a person is given ‘refugee' status, they are treated the same as a British resident.

Economic migrant - Someone who chooses to leave their country or moves to another area within a country/region to seek a more prosperous way of life.
Illegal entrant - Someone who has entered the U.K. after deceiving an immigration officer or entering in breach of a deportation order or by clandestine means.