In recent days, the Home Secretary has confirmed plans to implement ‘Danish-inspired’ changes to the asylum system.
Responding to the comments, Oliver Chantler, Head of Policy & Public Affairs at the Mental Health Foundation and co-author of The Mental Health of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the UK, said:
“The UK government must avoid falling victim to the current polarised discourse around the asylum system, and make sure that any reforms uphold the humanity and dignity of those who are seeking sanctuary.
“Remodelling the UK’s asylum system to be more like Denmark’s would pose a serious risk to the mental health and wellbeing of asylum seekers. The idea that we need to take draconian measures including limiting the human right to a family life, restricting some refugees to only temporary protection, or even seizing personal belongings such as jewellery is based on a falsehood that says we can’t create an asylum system that is both efficient and humane. The reality is that it is fully within the UK government’s power to make our asylum system better for taxpayers and asylum seekers alike, without resorting to cruelty.
“Ultimately, a Danish-inspired approach to immigration will do nothing to improve the current issues with the UK’s system, and is in fact likely to make them worse. Keeping families apart and subjecting refugees to constant reminders that they could be sent home as and when the government chooses will only deepen isolation and worsen trauma - making refugees’ integration into British society far more difficult.”