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Refugee safety at risk of becoming a 'racist popularity contest', UK panel told

The UK government’s varying responses to refugees risk turning their safety into a “divisive, racist popularity contest”, MPs and peers have been told.
The joint committee on human rights heard that there is a “stark” disparity between how refugees are treated, with immigration policy often “drawn upon racial lines.”
The lack of functioning safe routes to seek asylum in the UK is forcing people to risk their lives, said Zehrah Hasan, advocacy director at the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.
Home Office figures show Afghans were among the top nationalities crossing the Channel this year, she said.
Ukrainian refugees — one of the only groups able to travel to the UK on a visa to seek safety — were not in the figures.
Ms Hasan said: “The treatment of Ukrainian refugees is absolutely what we should be mirroring for other refugees."

“Everyone deserves to have a route to safety, regardless of their skin colour, or their religion.
“And this disparity that we can see between racialised refugees and white refugees is so stark and demonstrates, in our view, how often government immigration policy is drawn upon racial lines.”
Ms Hasan said resettlement programmes were important, but “no substitute for a fair and compassionate system”.
She said: “These schemes actually see the government reinventing the wheel, with a scheme for each crisis, announcing bespoke visa routes when bombs land on Aleppo, when Kabul fell to the Taliban, when [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s forces are destroying cities across Ukraine.”
English Channel migrants face ban on claiming asylum in Britain
“This approach risks turning refugees’ safety into a divisive, racist popularity contest … by simultaneously offering a warm welcome to Ukrainians whilst threatening those who cross the Channel, who are mostly black and brown, with deportation to a country they have no connection to.”
Ms Hasan called for more safe routes, including for a travel document granting people in northern France clearance to enter the UK to claim asylum.
This month, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said migrants crossing the Channel will face a ban from claiming asylum in Britain.
UK gets record 63,000 asylum applications in June 2022, accepts over 15,000
Ms Braverman said: “So if you deliberately enter the United Kingdom illegally from a safe country, you should be swiftly returned to your home country or relocated to Rwanda."
The committee was told that people should not be penalised for how they get to the UK when safe routes have been closed off to them.
Ms Hasan said it was “really appalling to see people being punished for taking the only route that’s currently open to them”.
Jonathan Ellis, public affairs and policy strategic leader at the Refugee Council, said “the mode of transport should not be used against people”.
UK government criticised over treatment of Afghan refugees
Mr Ellis said: “This kind of discrimination, that the mode of travel will be counted against you in terms of assessing your asylum claim, I think is hugely, hugely significant."
"There are precious few safe and legal routes … this is cutting off the route to safety for so many people."
A home office representative said: “We have welcomed hundreds of thousands of people to the UK through our global safe and legal routes, evidenced by schemes from Hong Kong and Afghanistan, as well as the two Ukrainian schemes, which show we respond flexibly and generously to crisis situations.
“In addition, more than 40,000 people have come to the UK in recent years through our refugee family reunion rules, which is available around the world.”
Source: thenational
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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