On 23 March 2020 the Swedish-Somali Physician Association highlighted that six out of the first 15 deaths in Sweden due to COVID-19 were of Somali background. They pointed to the lack of information about the coronavirus and how to avoid COVID-19 in languages other than Swedish and English.
asylum seekers
Essential, yet expendable: how a pandemic revealed the role of displaced migrants in the Cyprus labour market
As the coronavirus pandemic ravages economies and societies across Europe and beyond, we’ve seen the welfare of displaced migrants tumble even further down host countries’ list of priorities. Ironic, really, as now more than ever, we are relying on migrant workers to keep up even a semblance of an operational society.
Housing for refugees in Sweden: from negotiations between the state and local municipalities, to a top-down enforcement
Housing for asylum seekers and persons granted international protection is a contested issue. The state relies on local municipalities to settle refugees, and on the other hand, local governments experience housing shortages and need to make decisions how to prioritise between different groups in need of apartments.
Reclaiming the local? Asylum accommodation provision in Scotland
Reports last week that local authorities participating in the Dispersal Scheme are considering withdrawing from the Scheme are alarming but perhaps not surprising. Dispersal is a programme run by the UK government to accommodate asylum seekers in locations across the UK on a no-choice basis. Since its implementation at the turn of the Millennium, it has attracted controversy, especially around issues relating to the housing of asylum seekers.
Our visit to SPRAR projects in Calabria – now at risk due to the ‘Salvini decree’
In September, we held our second consortium meeting at the University of Calabria. As part of our meeting we visited local SPRAR (Protection System for Asylum Seekers and Refugees) projects, and met those who work in, and benefit from them. In this blog, our Co-Investigator, Tim Peace, details our experience, and analyses the impact current government legislation is likely to have on these projects.
Serco evictions and asylum accommodation governance: The consequences of a reserved, neoliberal accommodation model for displaced migrants in Glasgow
On 29 July 2018, private asylum accommodation provider, Serco, announced that with one day’s notice, they would be changing the locks on up 300 residences occupied by asylum seekers whose applications had been refused by the Home Office. The decision has been met with shock and anger both by Glasgow City Council and by the third sector and community networks that support refugees in Glasgow.