IN DEPTH
Connecting libraries and refugee communities
At the CILIP Working Internationally Conference on 25 June 2021, John Vincent (with Sarah Mears from Libraries Connected) led a workshop that looked at the role of public libraries in supporting new arrivals – here, he continues the theme and looks again at how important it is that we develop an understanding of what is going on across the world.
WHEN we say “new arrivals”, who are we talking about? It is preferable to refer to ‘people seeking sanctuary’ rather than to their individual immi- gration status. However, for this workshop, we looked more widely to include, for example: refugees; people seeking asylum; migrant workers; international students; unaccompanied asylum-seeking children; people arriving in the UK for family reunion.
Barriers
One key area which we discussed at the workshop was the barriers that new arrivals face in getting to and remaining in the UK. We identified the following as some of the major barriers:
l Getting here: this is going to be of even greater significance if the proposed changes to immigration law are passed.
l Proving that their claims are genuine: for example, there are frequent disputes over exactly how old someone is; also, people who identify as LGBTQ+ may face enor- mous legal battles to convince UK courts that their claims are valid.
l Hostility/racism: this was heightened by the Brexit vote in 2016 – it is noticeable that the far right in the UK has made immigration one of their platforms (see, for example: HOPE not Hate and Migration Exchange, 20211
) –
and, more recently, by reactions to Covid-19, with a surge in anti-Chinese, anti-east and
38 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
southeast Asian feelings and anti-Semitism in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
l The “hostile environment”: “The hostile environment policy (which the Government now refers to as the ‘compliant environment’ policy) refers to a range of measures aimed at identifying and reducing the number of immigrants in the UK with no right to remain.” (Taylor, 20182
). The UN Special
Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, E Tendayi Achiume
October-November 2021
John Vincent (
john@nadder.org.uk) is the coordinator of the Network, created to bring local authorities, museums, heritage bodies, professional organisations, university departments and individuals a space to share ideas and best practice to tackle social exclusion.
www.seapn.org.uk
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