Church Action on Poverty launched a statement during Refugee Week 2005 for church leaders to show their outrage at the government system that leaves some asylum seekers totally destitute in the UK.
Church Action on Poverty’s Living Ghosts campaign scored a success in December 2005, by sparking a public debate on government policies which are resulting in increasing numbers of people seeking asylum becoming destitute.
An open letter signed by over 50 church leaders, including the new Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, was published in the Times on 3 December – the same day as over 180 people attended a Living Ghosts conference organised by CAP and the Enabling Christians in Serving Refugees Network, held in Manchester.
The letter stated that "As a society we have international moral and legal responsibilities to welcome those fleeing adversity from other parts of the world and provide social security. But the threat of destitution is being used as a way of pressuring refused asylum seekers to leave the country."
Home Office Minister, Tony McNulty was forced to defend the Government’s asylum policies, in one of several letters which were published in the Times over the following week. Although robust in his defence of Home Office policies, Mr McNulty accepted that "it is apparent that many unsuccessful asylum-seekers who have exhausted all rights of appeal choose not to access support from central government. Instead, we hear that they are destitute or living on food parcels. The reasons for this, and possible ways of improving the situation, are things on which I am only too happy to join a debate with Church Action on Poverty and anyone else who can help."
Anne Forbes, Chair of CAP said: “As a society we have international moral and legal responsibilities to provide subsistence for asylum seekers. It is an international disgrace that the UK Government allows some asylum seekers to end up destitute. There has been a groundswell amongst Christians that this unacceptable and we expect church leaders to get behind our campaign.”
Over 50 bishops and church leaders have now signed the statement.
