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St. Columbans Widney Manor Rd.Knowle, W/Midlands B93 9AB Tel: 01564 772096, Fax: 01564 770500 colsol@btinternet.com |
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Love one another |
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Justice and Peace page 15 |
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With the knowledge of scripture, history, and the Churches’ own experience, Christians affirm that people moving from one part of the world to another contribute their gifts and valuable qualities such as courage and perseverance to the country where they come to live. |
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THE CHURCHES AND ASYLUM |
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Practical support for people seeking asylum, enabling refugees and their families in local communities to meet both emergency needs and the challenges of settling into life in a different society; |
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Standing alongside people seeking asylum as they struggle to work through the administrative systems and appeal procedures relating to refugee status or providing advocacy on their behalf when justice appears not to have been done; |
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Confronting the misconceptions and misinformation in society about asylum seekers and refugees; |
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Engaging with government on policy issues relating to the management of asylum and related concerns, pressing the government to adhere to international obligations on asylum; |
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Supporting those who make or implement asylum policy as they seek to act fairly, in accordance with the law, to serve the common good |
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WHAT CHRISTIANS WOULD LIKE TO SEE |
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HM Government to reinstate effective appeal rights, removing the constriction of legal arguments and the impediments to resources, which have characterised recent changes to the appeals function. |
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People whose claims for asylum have been refused for just reasons to be treated humanely and with due care for their welfare whilst in the country where their application for asylum has been rejected. They are not to be criminalised. |
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Removals to be placed under public scrutiny with full access to independent legal review and the continuance of an appeal function. |
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Measures to be in place to encourage asylum seekers and refugees to become integrated into their local community as rapidly as possible and in a way that is appropriate to their skills and state of well-being. |
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The government to return to their country of origin people whose claim to asylum has been refused only in the light of an independent risk assessment. |
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The government to address asylum issues in a manner that does not aggravate the increasing levels of prejudice and racist attacks against members of settled minority ethnic communities and people seeking asylum. |
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The institutional racism which is embedded in the ethos and practices of services dealing with |