Alarmingly low levels of asylum support are forcing thousands of children and their families seeking safety in the UK into severe poverty, putting babies’ and mothers’ lives at risk, a parliamentary inquiry reveals.
The cross-party parliamentary inquiry into asylum support for children and young people, led by former children’s minister Sarah Teather MP, launches its report into how asylum-seeking children and families are supported by the Home Office.
The panel, supported by The Children’s Society, found widespread examples of families on levels of support far below mainstream benefits, leaving them barely able to put food on the table or buy a winter coat.
Those on the lowest rate of support only receive their allowance on a card, meaning they get no cash, effectively leaving them stranded – unable even to take the bus to the doctor’s or take their children to school.
The inquiry heard how children and families are being forced to live in cramped, crowded, dirty and unsafe accommodation in areas where they are subjected to racial abuse.
Evidence revealed how some families do not have any privacy, with housing providers entering their homes unannounced, leaving single mothers with children feeling vulnerable and frightened. Families said they were frequently moved with no consideration for their needs – often at short notice – wrenching children from school and breaking links with vital support networks.
Sarah Teather MP said: ‘Woeful levels of support for asylum seekers are pushing children into severe poverty and are far below what they need to have a decent life. The evidence we have heard is shocking and appalling. It is an affront to this country’s proud tradition of giving sanctuary to those fleeing danger and violence. We have to ask ourselves, what sort of country do we want to be? One that protects vulnerable children, or one that allows them to go destitute, scared and hungry?’
Matthew Reed, Chief Executive of The Children’s Society said: ‘Thousands of children and families are being abandoned and literally left destitute because the system is failing them. Children and their families are being forced to live in appalling conditions that are unacceptable by anybody’s standards. No child, no matter who they are or where they’re from, should be treated with such a complete lack of human dignity’.
Recommendations
Among its recommendations the report urges the government to: Make sure asylum support for all children is in line with mainstream benefits. Abolish the cashless system (‘Section 4’) immediately. Allow parents to work so they can provide for their families and prevent them from being pushed into destitution.
