How do the opinions of adults and youngsters differ on the subject of asylum seekers? As National Refugee Week gets under way, we asked Islington-based news agency Children’s Express to find out.
| If a headline says‘1000 Asylum Seekers Coming’ people think ‘they’re going to take our jobs and our flats. |
National Refugee Week begins on Monday and this year focuses on children and young people.
A survey conducted last year found young people in Britain were more likely than adults to have negative feelings about refugees and asylum seekers. Children’s Express, the Islington-based news agency decided to ask young people for their views.
Haifa, 17, said: “I don’t think the financial support asylum seekers get in Britain is as much as everyone makes out. I think they only get about £30 a week to survive on, which isn’t much.
“Also a lot of the people who come here are highly qualified. They’ve been doctors or lawyers in their own country but they come here and they’re forced to do jobs which involve less skill for a lot less money.”
One 17-year-old who asked not to be named said: “My Mum’s not very keen on refugees. She’s got quite traditional views. She’s always complaining about them because near our house there are some council flats and lots of asylum seekers move in. She thinks they don’t respect their property and other residents. She doesn’t mind genuine refugees it’s illegal immigrants she says she doesn’t like.”
Conrad, nine, said: “Refugees and asylum seekers come to the UK because they don’t have enough rights in their own country and they know there’s no war here and they know it’s going to be safe. But the newspapers write a lot of negative stuff about them.
“If they print a headline saying ‘1000 Asylum Seekers Coming’ people get worried and think ‘Oh they’re going to take our jobs and our flats.”
Tara, 14, said: “When black and Irish people first started to come to England, there were signs up that said ‘No Dogs, No Blacks, No Irish.’ That was extreme stuff. A lot of these immigrants helped to develop this country by doing manual labour – building hospitals and driving buses. They did their bit to help society. If we give the people who are coming here now the same chance, they can be helpful as well.”
Carmen, 14, said: “I don’t know if I agree with the findings of the survey done during Refugee Week 2002 that young people are more likely to have negative opinions about asylum seekers. It does depend on where you live.
“I think the way the media portrays the issue is negative and very unfair which doesn’t help matters. Young people are more likely to believe the things they read because we’ve got less experience in the world.”
About the team
This story was produced by Jimmy Tam, 18 and Horia El Hadad, 17. It was published in the Highbury and Islington Express.
