2020 has been an incredibly difficult year for everyone.
It is now well established and understood that people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, Refugee and Asylum-seeking communities have faced the disproportionate brunt of suffering in regards to COVID-19.
This disparity in health has further highlighted socio-economic injustice across British society. The Coronavirus has and continues to have a huge impact on the lives of “B.A.M.E.R” people.
The social and economic restrictions have acutely isolated and alienated many refugees and asylum-seekers who are trying to rebuild their lives in the UK. Many of these people have already suffered the impact of leaving loved ones to make dangerous, treacherous and traumatic journeys to the UK. Many arrive in the UK and find themselves placed in unsuitable often crowded living conditions where the possibility of social distancing and keeping Covid-secure is close to impossible.
The MECS team have observed a marked increase in levels of depression, anxiety and PTSD in our refugee and asylum-seeking clients and the demand for our service continues to grow. These tangible problems have been exacerbated by hostility from the government while ramped-up anti-immigration rhetoric has created further concerns about the safety and wellbeing of refugees and asylum-seekers in the UK.
In late October we heard the tragic news that a family of 5 Iranian asylum-seekers had died as they tried to cross the channel to enter the UK. This horrific incident and others like it laid bare the UK’s insistence on scrapping safe, established routes for asylum-seekers to enter the UK. Following this there has been renewed efforts to encourage the UK Government to ensure there is safe passage for people seeking asylum in the UK (which is always legal).
We look forward to Friday 18th December when we join the world in celebrating Migrants Day. We will be featuring guest blogs from 3 MECS counsellors who speak about their experiences of both being migrants and working with migrants in their psychotherapeutic work.
