Canal crossings: who is making such a dangerous journey and why? | global development

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The canal tragedy last week has reopened the debate about how to prevent people from crossing dangerously, as solutions offered by the government have focused on how to monitor the water.

Not much is said about where these people came from, with most fleeing conflict and persecution. About two-thirds of the people who arrived on small boats between January 2020 and May 2021 were from Iran, Iraq, Sudan and Syria. Many also came from Eritrea, where 80% of asylum applications were approved.

According to Dr Peter Walsh of Oxford University’s Migration Monitor, those countries have the highest rates of acceptance of asylum claims, so it is likely that most of those crossing the Channel have genuine asylum claims that the government must accept.

Refugees’ countries of origin

“These are people from some of the most chaotic places in the world,” Walsh said. “These are people from countries exhausted by civil and ethnic strife and political persecution. You don’t have to be Einsteins to deduce why people are successful in their asylum claims.”

For many, the UK becomes a destination because they have relatives or know there is a well-established community, while others prefer an English speaking country and some simply believe they will be treated better.

Iran

Iran was the largest source of asylum seekers to Britain via all routes, including small boats from France. Nearly three-quarters of the 4,199 applicants in 2020 were granted asylum.

Until last week’s tragedy, the killing of an Iranian Kurdish family last year was the worst. They had left Sardasht in northwest Iran, where their relatives said they lived in poverty.

The Home Office’s guidance on deciding asylum claims relates mostly to state persecution toward political opposition or the voices of ethnic and religious minorities, but it also includes women fleeing violence and people worried about persecution because of their sexual orientation.

Iranians made up the largest number of asylum seekers since 2016. A survey published that year showed that most believed their lives were in danger and believed that the UK would provide more freedom and safety.

Sudan

Many of those camped in Calais are young Sudanese, many of them from Darfur, where 2.3 million people remain displaced by the war that began in 2003. Although the conflict has subsided, the conflict continues, and the Ministry of the Interior notes unreported claims Darfur Arabs are persecuted because of their ethnicity.

Al-Taher Hashem, a Darfuri who fled Sudan 10 years ago and settled in the UK, said conditions there have not improved and his generation has no livelihood or hope in the displacement camps where they are forced to live. “It is about values, dignity and self-esteem. In a country where you are raped, killed and your house set on fire, there is no future.”

He said that coming to the UK is not necessarily a conscious choice but one forced by conditions in Sudan and neighboring countries: “In Libya you are treated like an unwanted servant, I hear stories from others about racism, about not being paid for the work you do. It is not safe “.

“Your circumstances, they tell you this is not the place for you, so you make a decision when you have to go to the next place and eventually you end up in the UK.”

Iraq

Although numbers have fallen since the height of the Iraq war, 2,185 people arrived in Britain on small boats between January 2020 and May 2021, according to Home Office data published by the Refugee Council.

The Interior Ministry approved 49% of asylum seekers from Iraq last year, a much lower number than neighboring Syria even though both countries have been mired by conflict and ISIS over the past two decades.

Asylum applications submitted by Iraqis include fleeing the insecurity in the country as well as fear of persecution because they are from a religious or ethnic minority and because they are politically active.

Syrian Arab Republic

Syrians were more likely to be accepted, with 88% granted asylum or leave to remain in the UK. Since the beginning of 2020, Syrians have ranked fourth in the number of boat arrivals – after Iran, Iraq and Sudan.

For most people, war is the main driver. The withdrawal of the Islamic State and the government’s restoration of control over most of the country has led to a lull in the fighting, but most Syrians abroad have no plans to return to the country, fearing punishment.

While part of the debate on immigration in the UK has focused on encouraging refugees to stay in countries close to their homes, a UN survey in March revealed that 90% of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq cannot meet their basic needs. As a result, the five were considering moving to new countries, which could include the UK.

Eritrea

Eritreans ranked sixth among arrivals from 2020 to May 2021, behind the Vietnamese, but made up the fourth largest number of asylum applications, with 80% accepted.

For some, religious persecution is a cause, as those who practice “unauthorized” religions can be imprisoned, but for many reasons it is forced Eritrean military service. Eritrea remains one of the world’s most repressive countries, according to Human Rights Watch, and many young people are fleeing to escape indefinite forced conscription.

The UK offers many hope for freedom and potential economic security, particularly those who have faced traumatic journeys in other countries such as Libya, where Human Rights Watch has documented abuse of migrants in detention.

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