Define Us Not by Our Differences but by the Principles We Share
Article published: Saturday, January 19th 2008
Elinah Mugwagwa, Chair of the Refugee and Migrant Forum Manchester, talks to Rachel Laurence about its origins and work.
The governments agenda is to appear tough on immigration. A culture of disbelief and suspicion of all migrants to the UK is rife. For many refugees, each day brings new struggles with uncertainty, fear, isolation, demanding legal processes and very low or no recourse to income. This state of affairs would, you might think, leave refugees and migrants little time and scant energy to stand up together and tackle the decision-makers and power holders successfully. Not so. Manchester boasts one of a number of forums that have sprung up in the last few years, in which some of the most oppressed and marginalised members of our community have not only found a voice, but been able to take positive action to change things.
After its first three years, the Refugee and Migrant Forum Manchester is listened to by high level Border and Immigration Agency officials at regular consultations on the impact of immigration enforcement policies on the people they target. Manchester City Council and the police are among 72 agencies to have signed the Forums radical Refugee Charter for Manchester. The breadth of the forums activity ranges from addressing politicians in the houses of parliament, to organising a large scale consultation with hard to reach members of the local community.
What is the Refugee and Migrant Forum?
We are a group of refugee community organisations working together as one organisation, who put our ideas together to bring about change. We try to influence decision makers and power holders in the community and to bring the communities together to have one voice, and so that they can build community cohesion. We first started meeting in 2004.
How does the forum work, and what are its areas of concern?
We have a steering group that makes most of the planning decisions and is elected by the whole forum. Then there are groups working on Basic Rights, Education and Employment and Health. The Basic Rights group is looking at reporting procedures at Dallas Court in Salford and at deportation, destitution and the detention of asylum seekers. We are having ongoing meetings with staff at Dallas court. We have raised a list of issues with Dallas Court, around how people are handled when they report we want responses on those issues and we want to monitor on an ongoing basis whether they are adhering to the changes that they agreed to make.
The employment and education group has been running a strong campaign on ESOL since the government announced it wanted to cut down on the ESOL funding. The health group is working on access to primary health care for asylum seekers. This is threatened by a new move from the government to make the health sector refuse primary health care to certain groups of people subject to immigration controls.
What are some of the RMFs most significant achievements or actions?
I think our biggest achievement was the Refugee Charter for Manchester, a document that we wrote and launched in January 2006. Its purpose is to address issues such as basic rights, education and employment, health issues, community cohesion and issues important to the community, and to get decision makers to recognise the value that refugees and asylum seekers are bringing into the community. Seventy two agencies and communities have endorsed it, including the Transport and General Trade Union, the police, and Manchester City Council.
What are the main difficulties the RMF faces?
Its difficult to get people together. People are based in their own communities and you find that they may have other issues going on. Also, their status may have an effect on their work some people are going through the process of facing detention, deportation or destitution and its very difficult to come to a forum meeting when you are facing these issues.
Asylum seekers and refugees are generally portrayed negatively by the media, and the media influences the community in general that is another handicap. We think that we may look at working more on the media for this reason.
In your opinion, what is most important and innovative about the RMF?
The fact that we have different communities coming together and bringing their voice as one voice, instead of each community working by itself – thats quite brilliant and influential.
How can interested people find out more about your work or get involved?
Weve got a website; www.mrsn.org.uk/Forum.html and a coordinator who can be contacted on forum@mrsn.org.uk
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