Thinking about living like a refugee.

 While we were away in Portugal, as we manoeuvred our way around the reasonably-sized hotel room - hardly a palatial suite - I reflected on the difficulties refugee families have in rooms of that size, often with several small children entertain as well as every other difficulty.

As our government makes plans to make it harder to seek asylum, here is something from Facebook by Gulwali Passarlay. Wikipedia tells me “he is a member of the Global Advisory Council of Displaced International (DI) and a dedicated advocate, humanitarian, and spokesperson for refugees and asylum seekers across the U.K. and Europe. A best-selling author, he is an award-winning activist and campaigner, a member of ARENE, and part of NEON Spokesperson Network. Since arriving in the UK in 2007 after being forced to leave Afghanistan as a 12-year-old boy, Gulwali has achieved beyond all odds to become a well-respected and sought-after public speaker, influencer, and political campaigner for refugee’s rights, social justice, and education.”

Here’s part of his story:

“Tomorrow marks the beginning of my 19th year in the United Kingdom. I arrived here as a frightened 13-year-old in November 2007, alone, searching for safety. Since then, I have spent nearly two decades  campaigning, advocating, and speaking across this country about refugee rights.

Over that time, I have watched successive governments repeat the same cycle of cruelty: deterrence, detention, deprivation, deportation. The latest proposal by the Home Secretary to “copy the Danish immigration model” is just another version of that cycle. It divides refugees into the “deserving” and the “undeserving”, trapping people in permanent uncertainty rather than offering stability and the chance to rebuild their lives.

It is wrong. It is immoral. It is ineffective. And history shows it has never worked.

The real impact of “temporary protection”

People cannot rebuild their lives when every 30 months they face the threat of removal. They cannot start businesses, pursue education, build families, or contribute fully to society. I know this personally.

It took me:

 • 5 years to finally receive refugee status

 • 11 years to get settlement

 • 15 years to become a British citizen

And that was under a system far more humane than what is being proposed today.

If I had been kept in limbo for 20 years, I would never have been able to:

 • finish school, college, university

 • earn a degree and a Master’s in governance

 • write The Lightless Sky

 • speak at hundreds of schools and universities

 • travel to 30 countries

 • carry the Olympic torch

 • start a business serving my local community

 • get married and raise two beautiful children

Everything I have achieved happened because I was eventually given stability, safety, and the ability to plan for the future.”

Our travel adventures pale into insignificance compared to stories like that.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!