Tekle, one of the Safe Passage Young Leaders, introduces this year's report by letting us know why Safe Passage is important to him.
OUR MISSION
At Safe Passage International we make sure that refugees seeking asylum have access to safe and legal routes to protection. We want everyone to live a full and dignified life and have the legal means to access their rights. We are focused on systemic change to refugee and asylum policy, both nationally and internationally.
OUR APPROACH
We do things differently.
We champion refugees’ rights to safe passage through strategic legal work, advocacy, capacity building, and community organising.
OUR VALUES
Safe Passage is GROUNDBREAKING
"You changed our lives"
"You recognise that lawyers are as necessary as tents"
"You are not afraid to get your hands dirty"
Safe Passage is DETERMINED
"You don't give up, ever"
"You keep coming back"
"You never say: 'That's it, we've lost'. Instead you say: 'What else could we do?'"
Safe Passage is COMPASSIONATE
"You care about how people make their journey"
"You go alongside the refugees you are seeking to help"
"You saved the lives of our kids"
"We trust you"
Quotes taken from young refugees, family members, supporters and partners.
WE CHANGE LIVES
Every year thousands of child refugees arrive in Europe. Almost half of them are unaccompanied. Totally alone. Each one is at risk of being abused and trafficked. Yet many of these children have a legal right to travel safely to a place of sanctuary. With our support they can be with their family. For those that do not have family, we seek creative policy changes to bring them somewhere they can be safe.
HOW WE DO IT
We provide expert legal advice and representation to children, vulnerable adults, and separated families seeking family reunification.
In just five years, we have directly supported hundreds of people in their darkest hour and opened up safe and legal routes to sanctuary for thousands of the world’s most vulnerable children.
By bringing more young people to safety, amplifying their voices, and influencing policymakers, we are creating a fairer migration system in Europe.
OUR WORK IS MORE URGENT THAN EVER
OUR IMPACT 2019
BUILDING CAPACITY - STRENGTHENING THE SECTOR
EXPERT TRAINING
Since we began in 2015, we have become recognised as experts in a niche and important area of the law. With this comes a need and a responsibility to share our knowledge and experience.
After all, we can’t do this work alone. Together with local and European partners, in 2019 we provided a rich mix of expertise and a unique perspective on casework, litigation and campaigning.
Below are just two examples of our work in practice.
From the field: UK Professionals Train Greek Counterparts
Together with our long standing partners at Hammersmith and Fulham Council and Doughty Street Chambers, UK-based social workers and barristers travelled to Greece to deliver bespoke training to 25 of their Greek counterparts, sharing insights on the Dubs scheme and how to prepare children for arrival in the UK.
From the field: Responding to Partner Needs in France
As well as delivering complex technical legal training, we know that many professionals are new to family reunification and require introductory training. After working closely with grassroots partners in Northern France, our team delivered entry-level training on Dublin III family reunification, with a focus on increasing knowledge of referral processes and broader reunification legislation and protocols.
TECHNICAL ADVICE BEYOND OUR CASES
Our support goes beyond the cases we work on directly. This year, we provided technical advice to professionals, most commonly highly skilled immigration lawyers new to family reunification, social workers, support workers, or legal guardians of unaccompanied minors.
We have seen significant growth in demand for support this year, reflecting the clear need among many practitioners, and cementing our role as the ‘go to’ organisation for advice on family reunification. We have advised professionals from across Europe, Pakistan, Cyprus, Iceland and Libya, providing up to 20 hours of legal advice on each case that often continue across many months.
"You cannot imagine how helpful you are!"
Lawyer who received advice on using DNA evidence.
"Thank you so, so much for all the time and effort you both expended in reuniting the two brothers. It truly would not have been possible without your support."
British-based charity Support Worker.
DELAY LITIGATION
In March 2019 we provided evidence for judicial review applications challenging the delays children were facing when trying to reunite with their family in the UK. The Home Office is required to make a decision on a case within two months of receiving the request from another country but was routinely missing this deadline. Safe Passage supported three children whose cases were heard by the Upper Tribunal. The legal work was led by the Migrants Law Project as solicitors and by barristers at Doughty Street Chambers.
These delays put children’s lives and psychological wellbeing at risk. When they do not receive a decision within the timeframe they are told to expect, they lose faith in the system. Children are at risk of absconding to make the dangerous journey in the hands of smugglers on the backs of lorries or on boats, rather than safely and legally as is their right.
The court found that the Home Office failure to comply with the two-month deadline to respond to France's request that the UK take charge of the children was unlawful.
This means that thanks to the support we provided to the children and the evidence we provided, more children are able to travel to their families in the UK quicker than previously. Your support to our legal team makes sure that changes like this can happen.
BREXIT: PROTECTING FAMILY REUNIFICATION
As the foremost organisation working on family reunification to the UK, our teams across Europe have been the driving force behind ensuring family reunion to the UK remains open following Brexit.
As the threat of a no-deal Brexit for family reunion increased in 2019, we put into practice a combined Campaign and Legal strategy to ensure the potential impact on those we serve is mitigated. As part of this, we collaborated with Refugee Rights Europe and other organisations in France on the ‘Left Out In The Cold’ report, which you can read below.
The report highlights the very real dangers these children face every day, and the urgency with which clarity is needed on the provisions for family reunification after Brexit.
“The UK Government is faced with an opportunity to act decisively so that the rights and safety of children are upheld.”
Although no-deal was avoided, in December the UK government decided to remove protections for family reunion contained in the EU Withdrawal Bill that we had won previously. In response, hundreds of thousands of people like you acted with us to resist this move.
Together, we secured one of the government’s biggest defeats in the House of Lords. Our pressure ensured government ministers to reaffirm their commitment to family reunion, and we won key concessions on eligibility. We stand ready to hold them to account and ensure refugees’ rights are protected beyond 2020.
SHIFTING THE NARRATIVE
In 2019 Safe Passage’s work was featured in national and international media over 70 times, with coverage in outlets including the Guardian, Telegraph, Times, Mirror, Huffington Post, BBC, CNN, Channel 5 News, Big Issue, Jewish News, the Independent, and Sky News. Safe Passage also featured regularly in local media across the country, including Glasgow, Brighton, Jersey, Dorset, Leicester and London.
We have reached new audiences in strategic outlets, and often with stories told directly by young refugees. These articles are helping to shift the divisive narrative surrounding refugees in the UK and gain support for refugees from the wider public.
LEARNING FROM HISTORY - ‘OUR TURN’ CAMPAIGN
In 2019, the UK’s resettlement schemes that were established during the refugee ‘crisis’ in 2015 and 2016 were coming to an end.
Without action, there is a danger that there would be no refugee resettlement scheme to the UK.
Launched in 2018, the ‘Our Turn’ campaign urged the UK government to announce a new scheme open to those in Europe. It commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Kindertransport when Britain took 10,000 child refugees fleeing Nazi persecution and called for the UK government to do the same today. Since November 2018, over 40 of our grassroots campaign groups have taken the issue to their local councils, asking them to pledge to welcome child refugees if central government agrees to resettle them. Total places pledged by the end of 2019 was 1,440 for child refugees over 10 years, from Europe and conflict zones. These pledges are a powerful answer to Government arguments that capacity was not available to support more child refugees. In June 2019, 250 supporters and 8 MPs attended a rally outside parliament on this issue, which was featured on Channel 5 News.
In June 2019, Theresa May did announce a new, one-year ‘Global Resettlement Scheme’. However, we continue to campaign to convince the government to take advantage of the ‘Our Turn’ pledges by extending the scheme to those children currently in dangerous situations in Europe.
DUBS & LOCAL ACTIVISM
The Dubs scheme offers unaccompanied children without family in Europe the opportunity to resettle in the UK. When it became law in 2016, the government capped the number of places at 480. Several years after it was launched there remained significant delays in children’s transfer to the UK. Through positive engagement with local councils and the UK Home Office we identified over 25 places for children under the scheme, making sure the scheme continued to work for children who need help.
EVIDENCE-BASED ADVOCACY
Our ground-breaking research with Praksis ‘Caught in the Middle’, detailed the systemic failures of EU member states to implement the family reunion process, with devastating consequences for unaccompanied children. Through our research and analysis of 80 Greek cases and the processes in 14 receiving states, a clear picture emerged of a system that continues to fail vulnerable children, often resulting in severe harm to their physical and mental health.
The research identified examples of best practice and recommendations that practitioners and decision makers can implement at a national and EU-level. We have published the findings on our website, presented the work to key organisations in the Greek asylum sector, and the research received extensive media coverage.
Our team identified three unaccompanied children whose cases were analysed in the research who are now receiving legal representation through our partners.
NEW ROUTE TO SAFETY: FROM GREECE TO FRANCE
At the heart of our work is a determination to identify and break open new routes to safety for refugees. In 2019, we successfully supported cases of family reunion from Greece to France, some of the first of their kind. With teams in both France and Greece, we are uniquely positioned to work on these cases.
French authorities rejected 79% of requests from Greece for unaccompanied children to join their families in 2018. During the same year, Belgium rejected 36% of Greek requests, the UK rejected 45%.
In response to the failure of French authorities to respond to Greek requests for review of cases, our teams worked together to support four young refugees in Greece who were trying desperately to reach their family in France. Each had waited between one to two years to reunite with either their brother, mother or father.
Thanks to our team’s hard work, three of the clients have since joined their family in France and one case is ongoing. Our work has challenged a broken system, shone a light on best practice, and on the areas governments must urgently address.
SUPPORTING LIFE IN THE UK
YOUNG PEOPLE FROM REFUGEE BACKGROUNDS TAKING THE LEAD
Safe Passage continued to ensure that those with lived experience are at the forefront of our campaigning. To take this to the next level, in October we launched the Young Leaders Programme, which will be actively shaped by young people from refugee backgrounds. Former Safe Passage clients and other young refugees will come together for workshops and sessions to build their skills and provide them with a platform for advocating on issues.
15 young refugees attended our first session in December, getting the project off to a strong start as we move into 2020 and beyond.
"Safe Passage has inspired me to be ambitious to do something positive in the future.”
“My English is pretty good now, I want to become a civil engineer and make my family proud, so I’m studying really hard. I’m really happy to say I can finally call the UK my home.”
Quotes from Safe Passage Young Leaders and former clients
Recruitment Alert!
Are you aged 18-30 with lived experience of asylum in the UK? Are you passionate about being an ambassador for young people and refugees?
Safe Passage is recruiting two young trustees - apply below!
STRENGTHENING OUR CAPACITY TO HELP
ESTABLISHING SAFE PASSAGE INTERNATIONAL
In 2019, Safe Passage International became an independent charity, having previously been part of the charity Citizens UK, with whom we remain close allies.
This important milestone enabled us to increase our international reach, develop our strategic legal work, and continue our UK refugee resettlement efforts. We are hugely grateful to Citizens UK for their support since our work started in 2015.
As a newly independent charity, it was vital to start life on a sustainable footing, rather than overreaching in multiple locations and contexts. With that in mind, we decided to pause our operations in Italy and Belgium. We continue to provide second tier legal advice to professionals in Italy and in Belgium, and we have refocused our capacity building and advocacy work.
BUILDING THE IN-HOUSE LEGAL TEAM
We established the Safe Passage Legal Team, through vital funds raised by nearly 1,000 supporters, and we registered with The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner. This seminal development means our team can now offer advice directly to refugees and their families, provide direct legal representation, and submit cases to the Home Office. With our expertise in a niche area of immigration law, we seek to represent the most complex cases where we can add the most value.
BUILDING OUR PRESENCE IN GREECE
This year we finalised our formal registration with the Greek authorities, following on from successfully registering Safe Passage in France in 2018. This builds on our previous capacity building, research, and cross-border legal work, which established us as an influential figure in both France and Greece. Formal registration means we are now moving towards directly representing clients and growing our impact in 2020 and beyond.
GROWING OUR SUPPORTER NETWORK
This year saw remarkable growth in our supporter numbers subscribed to receive emails - up by almost 70%. Our supporters are the backbone of our campaigning work, and this growth is a clear sign that people continue to care deeply about vulnerable refugees and are taking action to protect them.
ENHANCING VOLUNTEER SUPPORT
Since we began in 2015, volunteers have been a vital part of our team. From interpreters, translators, pro bono lawyers and campaigners, all our volunteers play a huge part with their talent and commitment. We have revamped our volunteering systems, safeguarding, supervision and training this year to ensure that volunteers are fully supported and we are using their skills strategically.
2020 AND BEYOND
As the leading voice for safe and legal routes to sanctuary for refugees in Europe, we stand ready to protect their rights in 2020 and beyond.
With significant uncertainty about the UK’s post-Brexit family reunification mechanism, 2020 is a critical year for our work. We are committed to ensuring that as many eligible people as possible apply for family reunification to the UK under Dublin III in 2020. We will work directly on cases and provide in-depth advice and training to legal and social care professionals.
Through our legal expertise, analysis, and campaigning power we will work to shape the UK family reunification system that will replace Dublin III in 2021. We will work alongside refugee leaders and partners to hold the UK government to account on its international and national obligations and press for an ambitious new system.
With increased legal capacity in 2020, our teams in France, Greece and the UK will work directly on more cases, continuing our work to transform the lives of young refugees across Europe.
We will enhance the relevance of our safeguarding approach at a country-specific level and reach out to young refugees to explore what it means to them to feel safe. Their input will shape how we do our work.
2020 will challenge us to be more ground-breaking, determined and compassionate than we’ve ever been before.
Thank you for standing with the people we work for.
Thank You Supporters and Partners
No child or family would be helped without the support of our donors and partners. Thank you to each and every one of you, as well as the organisations who contributed to our work in 2019, including:
38 DEGREES
AB CHARITABLE TRUST
BBC CHILDREN IN NEED
COMIC RELIEF
EUROPEAN PROGRAMME FOR INTEGRATION AND MIGRATION
FAMILIES TOGETHER PROGRAMME
HELP REFUGEES
JOSEPH ROWNTREE CHARITABLE TRUST
SIGRID RAUSING TRUST
TRUST FOR LONDON
STRATEGIC LEGAL FUND
THE SYBIL SHINE MEMORIAL TRUST
THE BLUE THREAD
Special thanks to the Estate of Marianne Kewan who so generously supported us in 2019. Marianne arrived in the UK on the Kindertransport in 1939 and her legacy brings safety to children today.
A final big thank you to you, our supporters and Friends of Safe Passage. None of the above is possible without you.
In 2019, we lost our dear friend Professor Leslie Brent MBE. He will be greatly missed and below speaks passionately about his support for child refugees.