April, 2006

Useful Links

Northern Ireland Links

Republic of Ireland Links

UK Links

European Links

International Links

Other useful sites

Official Responses

1 Stop
Asylum applicants queueing outside an advice centre in England. Photograph by David Levene

Incomers and members of minority ethnic groups have not always felt welcome here and report negative attitudes and unequal treatment by official bodies as well as individuals in society. Institutional Racism exists when there is collective failure to deal with people properly. This is similar to Systemic Racism where policies, practices and systems that work against certain groups of people become embedded in organisations. For example, deciding to treat everyone in exactly the same way may result in disadvantaging a group whose needs are not met by this policy. There is increasing awareness of the dangers and policies are being put in place to redress them.

Until very recently we have had a concentration on Community Relations strategies locally that attempted to address the divisions between Protestant and Catholic communities.  The term Good Relations is applied to dealing positively with other forms of difference. The Belfast Agreement of 1998 refers to equality and parity of esteem for people from different social, religious and ethnic backgrounds. This has been given legal backing. Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 obliges public bodies to promote equality of opportunity between different groups of people, including ‘racial groups’. They are also obliged to promote good relations between people of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group. Public bodies are obliged to have Equality Schemes and to submit their policies to Equality Impact Assessments that are open to public scrutiny.

Under the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 it was already unlawful for discriminate either directly or indirectly on racial grounds, in terms of employment and training; education; provision of goods and services and the disposal and management of premises and advertisements. The Human Rights Act 1998 gave people rights to protection under the European Convention on Human Rights. A Human Rights Commission and Equality Commission have been set up in Northern Ireland to ensure that existing legislation and practice protect and uphold human rights and equality. They also have an advisory role on these issues.

Following consultation, the UK Government published A Shared Future Policy and Strategic Framework for Good Relations in Northern Ireland [pdf] (2005). It carries the aspiration that, through time, we will achieve, ‘ a normal civic society, in which all individuals are considered as equals’…’A society where there is equity, respect for diversity and recognition of our interdependence.’ The first policy objective flowing from this is to ‘eliminate sectarianism, racism and all forms of prejudice and to enable people to live and work without fear or intimidation’. Northern Ireland is recognised as no longer being a bipolar society but one which is enriched by becoming more culturally diverse. It is also recognised however, that racism has emerged as a problem.

In practical terms, Government is setting up an inter-departmental Good Relations Panel to shape policies and institutions. It includes faith representatives. The Office of the First and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) has a policy role and is responsible for challenging, undertaking research and monitoring progress. The new 2007 ministerial pledge of office includes the words ‘and will promote a shared future’.

The existing Community Relations Council has an enhanced role in good relations work, independent of Government and representative of civic society. Community Relations Officers (CROs) in district councils fund local good relations activities.  A Shared Future recognises the role that churches and other faith-based organisations have to play in developing good relations at local level.

In July 2005, to complement A Shared Future, the government also published: A Racial Equality Strategy for Northern Ireland 2005-2010 [pdf]

It has 6 shared aims – shared that is with minority ethnic representatives

  • Equal protection and redress against racism and racist crime
  • Equality of service provision for minority ethnic people in accessing public services
  • To increase the sense of participation and belonging of people from minority ethnic backgrounds in public, political, economic, social and cultural life.
  • To promote dialogue and mutual understanding between people of different faiths and cultural backgrounds
  • To build capacity within minority ethnic communities

Priority areas for practical action include training and employment, housing and accommodation, health, education, the criminal justice system, and the particular areas of concern around immigration, asylum and the exploitation of migrant workers.
Under this strategy, The Racial Equality Unit within OFMDFM manages a fund that is targeted at helping minority ethnic groups and other groups in the wider community to work together to foster integration. (See http://www.pfgni.gov.uk/) As well as the Racial Equality Unit, Government has set up a Racial Equality Forum to help draw up an action plan, to implement the strategy, and to monitor and review progress.
The Journey Towards Healing [pdf] booklet and training course on trauma for pastoral carers in faith-based organisations has been developed under the auspices of the Victims Unit OFMDFM and includes a recognition of trauma experienced through racism.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has appointed Minority Liaison Officers in each area to respond to the increase in racial incidents and have published Hate Crime, Racial Incidents: Protecting your Rights [pdf]

Useful documents:

Web sites:

Publications

EMBRACE seeks to provide information through its Newsletter, annual Information Update and other materials. Hard copies of EMBRACE publications can be obtained from our office, and electronic versions can be selected from the list below:

Building a Welcoming Community, Newsletter

Embracing Diversity, Information Update Booklet

‘Who’s who? Who’s here?’ leaflet, produced December 2007
‘who’s who? who’s here?’ leaflet [pdf]
 

‘once we were strangers’, CD Rom

CD Embrace_image_and_titleCD_for web_.jpgEMBRACE has produced a collection of first-hand accounts of the life experiences of immigrants and refugees here. The personal stories are accompanied by 7 Bible studies and other resource material. The study themes include, for example, Recognising Jesus in the Stranger and A Refugee’s story: The Flight to Egypt. To obtain a copy of the CD, or to find out more about this resource please contact the EMBRACE office by email or phone. The materials on the CD can be used for group study, to inspire sermons, addresses and for prayer.

Inter-cultural Insights, Christian Reflections on Racism, Hospitality and Identity from the Island of Ireland 
Produced by the All-Ireland Churches’ Consultative Meeting on Racism/Irish Inter-Church Meeting, this booklet provides 16 short reflections which offer fresh insight into scripture and highlight personal experiences of racism, perspectives on the challenge of identity and difference, and the need to provide hospitality and to ‘welcome the stranger’. Free copies of this resource can be obtained from the EMBRACE office or downloaded in pdf format here

Resource Library

The Embrace Resource Library is housed in our office and can be borrowed from by all Embrace members at no cost. The following are recently produced materials now available from the resource library:

Local People Global Faiths
This book provides an introduction to the origins, beliefs, customs, worship and festivals of the Sikh, Jewish and Hindu faiths, on a local as well as global scale. Written by Stranmillis College lecturers James Nelson and Norman Richardson, in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum and with contributions from members of our local faith communities, it is the first of its nature to be designed and written from a specifically local context. Created especially for Key Stage 3 RE students, relevant classroom activities are also included throughout, enabling students to explore and identify with what they have learnt.
Paperback 64 pages (June 30, 2005)
Publisher: Colourpoint Books
ISBN: 1904242324

A Place of Refuge – a positive approach to asylum seekers and refugees in the UK
This carefully researched report examines the claims made against refugees – that they are lazy, uneducated or involved in criminal activity – and uses statistical evidence to show that these claims are largely unfounded. It explains the legal and factual basis of the asylum system and highlights the positive contribution that refugees make to the UK. The book includes practical suggestions for action at a local and national level along with useful contacts and resources.
Paperback 80 pages (April 4, 2005)
Publisher: Church House Publishing
ISBN: 071514071X

Afraid to Leave, Afraid to Stay
This resource toolkit consists of a dual language booklet and an online toolkit. The booklet contains stories from refugees alongside stories from the life of Jesus. The English text appears below the same stories in the asylum seeker’s own language. It is available in Somali, Farsi, Turkish, and Albanian, and comes with a user guide so that it can be used as an informal counselling tool. In the online toolkit there are fact sheets on the languages used and the countries where they are spoken. There’s information on asylum seekers, the process of seeking asylum, and lots of ideas for getting involved in local asylum communities.
Booklet
Publisher: Lifewords

Entertaining Angels
Based on the theme of hospitality, Geoffrey Duncan’s new book, Entertaining Angels is a wonderful anthology of prayer, poems, stories and anecdotes. Much of the material relates directly to asylum seekers and refugees.
Paperback 304 pages (July 31, 2005)
Publisher: Canterbury Press
ISBN: 1853116424

FAQ

Frequently asked Questions about Migrants and Refugees

Q Who is an immigrant?
A This term has been applied to all people coming into the country to work, but it is now often applied to people who intend to settle and integrate here, as opposed to being a more temporary ‘migrant worker’. It is important not to view people who are part of long-established ethnic communities and populations as ‘immigrants’.

Q Who is a migrant worker?
A Someone who leaves their country with the intention of seeking work elsewhere. In practice the words are usually applied today to people who do not intend to remain permanently in the host country.

Q Who is an economic migrant?
A Anyone who moves from their home country to improve their economic situation can be termed an ‘economic migrant’. This term is sometimes used in a derogatory way, to throw suspicion on people’s motives in seeking asylum. In fact, poverty and economic deprivation, as well as violence, are tools of those who persecute individuals and groups of people. Most economic migrants simply seek a better life for themselves and their families, as many people from Ireland have done for generations.

Q Who is an asylum seeker?
A Someone who has a well-founded fear of persecution by reason of their race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion, in their own country, and seeks refuge in another country.

The words we use…The term ‘asylum seeker’ is now regarded by many people as a depersonalising term of abuse, often associated with the word ‘bogus’. In EMBRACE, we try to use the phrase, ‘person seeking asylum’. Similarly, the broad-brush term, ‘illegal immigrant’ is best replaced by the more objective words, ‘undocumented person’. How can a human being be illegal?

Q Who is a refugee?
A Someone who applies for asylum, and is successful in being granted refugee status, under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to Refugees. ‘Refugee’ is also the general term for all people who have been displaced from their own countries by persecution, war and civil unrest.
 

About

EMBRACE is a group of Christians working together to promote a positive response to people seeking asylum, refugees, migrant workers and minority ethnic people in Northern Ireland.

Latest

RSS