Refugee Action

Refugee Action

Refugee Action is an independent national charity founded in 1981 that provides advice and support to refugees and asylum seekers in the UK and campaigns for a fairer asylum system. It is governed by a Board of Trustees, chaired by Julia Meiklejohn. Its chief executive is Stephen Hale OBE who joined the charity in February 2014.

Its past work has included the reception and settlement of refugees from Vietnam, Bosnia and Kosovo, as well as evacuees from Montserrat after the Soufrière Hills volcano eruption in 1995.[1] Each year Refugee Action provides advice and practical support to over 10,000 vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees from dozens of countries.

In addition to operating the largest part of the UNHCR Gateway Protection Programme in the UK, which resettles 750 refugees every year, Refugee Action also offers a range of specialist services and used to run an assisted voluntary return (AVR) programme till the end of 2015.

Refugee Action has its head office in London and offices in Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol.

Co-operation

Refugee Action works in association with other refugee and human rights organisations, such as the Refugee Council and Amnesty International. It was among the groups that campaigned against section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, later overturned in the courts, which denied financial and housing support to asylum seekers who failed to claim asylum within three days of arrival.[2]

Refugee Action is a member of The Dentention Forum, a network of organisations working together to challenge the UK's use of detention, and has published research on the adverse effects of detention on the mental and physical health of detained asylum seekers.

Refugee Action is also a member organisation of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) and the Asylum Support Partnership along with the Refugee Council, Scottish Refugee Council, Welsh Refugee Council, North of England Refugee Service and Northern Refugee Centre.

References

  1. ↑ History, Refugee Action site
  2. ↑ Stories of hope and courage, Ella Marshall, The Guardian, January 30, 2008

External links

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