Together with academics, charities and activists we have sent a letter to the Home Secretary, calling for the government to implement changes to the Home Office system to better protect LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum and refugees from abuse.
The letter has been signed by organisations, experts and activists from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and calls on the government to; offer LGBTQI+-specific accommodation, establish a specially trained team to deal with sexual orientation, gender identities, gender expression, and sex characteristics claims, end immigration detention for LGBTQI+ claimants, increase access to legal aid, and give people seeking asylum the right to work.
The letter follows the publication of the Queer SEREDA report from the University of Birmingham and support from us. The report details that people trying to escape their home country because of violence and discrimination due to their sexuality or gender identity, face dangerous living conditions, homophobic abuse from Home Office contractors and sexual harassment once they reach the UK.
Minesh Parekh, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Rainbow Migration said: “LGBTQI+ people come here escaping unimaginable horrors and seeking safety, but the UK’s asylum system is failing to protect them. Our report shines a light on the dangers that LGBTQI+ people face while navigating the asylum system and now the government must act so that people are properly supported and safeguarded from harm while they seek to rebuild their lives in safety here.”