New Home
by Loraine Masiya Mponela
I have been exposed to the love
of strangers, seen smiles directed at me
and the smiling eyes with mouths covered
with masks.
It has been eye opening to know
that so much love exists, that a homeless girl
can share a life and be provided with a home
away from home
It has been mind blowing
and humbling to experience greatness alongside
great leaders, campaigning shoulder to shoulder
I have seen the better side of humanity
love instead of hate. It warms my heart that
humanity is in a better place
in its care for other humans.
Note: Loraine is a member of CARAG, a SNN signatory
SNN signatory organisation: Kanlungan Filipino Consortium Kanlungan launched a report and zine on the experiences of undocumented Filipino migrants, Essential and Invisible: Filipino irregular migrants in the UK’s ongoing COVID-19 crisis.Click here to download the full report. 15 November 2021 The Walk, Little Amal visited @cop26uk and stood alongside young changemakers who brought their powerful voices to the conference to demand change. Standing alongside the young Samoan activist @briannafruean, Amal opened the Gender Day plenary as Brianna highlighted the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on girls and women from the global south. Read more: https://www.facebook.com/walkwithamal/posts/417655216739053 SNN signatory organisation Women Asylum Seekers Together, Manchester WAST choir sang to Little Amal: ‘Far away from Home’, in Manchester and she stopped to listen. Others from StatusNow cheered her along on her journey through UK: https://statusnow4all.org/start-with-hope-change-will-follow/ JWCI: Climate Justice is Migrant Justice – Together we Win! As world leaders gathered in Glasgow for COP26 in November 2021, on 11 November 2021, in the midst of the COP26 negotiations in Glasgow, campaigners at the forefront of these struggles came together for a lively discussion. JCWI was joined by fantastic speakers on the forefront of the struggle for climate, racial and migrant justice. The recording of the event is here. Cryton Chikoko is a Migrant Voice community researcher and founder of Equanicity, examining the impact of climate change on Black communities. Read the full article here. ICIBI, David Neal’s report: An inspection of asylum casework (August 2020 – May 2021) People have been left waiting in the asylum system with no certainty about their future for long periods of time. We call for StatusNow for all – Indefinite Leave to Remain. The ICIBI report published in November 2021, David Neal said “I welcome the publication of this report, which explored the efficacy of the Home Office’s ability to make timely and good quality asylum decisions. It examined resourcing, training, workflow, case progression and the prioritisation of cases, as well as the quality of interviews, decisions and quality assurance mechanisms.” Read the full report, here. Signatory organisationZHRO – Zimbabwean Human Rights Organisation held a demonstration on 11 November 2021, and a petition was delivered to 10 Downing Street: UK must hold Ed Mnangagwa accountable for human rights violations. Moses explains: A petition was created by a number of human rights groups together with opposition parties of Zimbabwe here in the United Kingdom. The petition was to highlight our concerns as Zimbabweans, to the international community why the leader of our country was invited to the Cop26 meeting in Glasgow. Read more: https://statusnow4all.org/enabling-nurse-daisy/ Please have a look at our Motion for use by Trade Union bodies: This motion for use by Status Now Supporters has been produced by the reference group as a short motion to go, suitably amended, to trade union bodies, including national and regional conferences. We do need to get more trade union support in order to deliver on our core demand Status Now For All – indefinite leave to remain. Read more: https://statusnow4all.org/motion-for-use-by-trade-union-bodies/ On the concern of detention: please note that the Brook House Inquiry is just starting, and there is a call for evidence from people who were detained or worked in Brook House 1 April 2017 and 31 August 2017. This links well to the ICIBI report released recently about vulnerable adults in detention. See this post: https://statusnow4all.org/icibi-second-annual-inspection-of-adults-at-risk-in-immigration-detention/ We are also aware that the long-standing campaign against the opening of Hassockfield/Consett/Derwentside immigration detention centre to house women continues despite Home Office announcing that it will open by the end of 2021 continues: https://statusnow4all.org/increasing-the-immigration-detention-estate-for-women/ AT and WITHIN the UK’s Borders: StatusNow4All identifies with everyone in transit and everyone who has died in transit People have moved around the world for many reasons through time, and they still do. In their attempts to reach what they perceived to be a toehold where they and their families might begin to become safe, consider how many of these people have died because obstacles have been put in their way on land or in the water. We don’t know the numbers. We do know that the overt and systematic militarisation of the European Union borders began in 2004 when Frontex (funded through the European Commission) was contracted. In July 2021 a condemnation of Frontex’s actions failing to protect asylum seekers rights was published. Now, in the wake of the most recent drownings in the English Channel, networks up and down Britain are mobilising to communicate their complete condemnation of the Government’s immigration control systems, AT and WITHIN the UK’s borders. Every time people plan and work together through such mobilisations, we strengthen the bonds committed to transforming the way the migration system works and stopping the deaths and the suffering. We must achieve this transformation. There is no room for competition, only for constructive communication, connection, correction, collaboration, coalition and co-operation. There is room only for language that unifies. When the CEO of the Refugee Council is reported by the BBC as having differentiated between ‘legitimate refugees’ and others, the Network perceives such language use by the media as damaging, inaccurate, and deeply irresponsible. (Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-59406632/page/2]) There are no shortcuts either. Within the borders of Britain there are millions who, every day, re-commit to surviving all the violations that come with having precarious status: not having equitable access to housing, healthcare, food and safety. How many of Status Now’s signatory organisations and individuals include people who, themselves, have crossed by land and sea? So many.StatusNow4All identifies with everyone in transit and everyone who has died in transit .Our listings on the planned mobilisations in solidarity with the people who have drowned can be viewed here: https://statusnow4all.org/channel-crossings/ And Status Now signatory JCWI has created these resources: A Briefing for MPs on what needs to change. Please take a moment today, to send a copy to your MP https://www.jcwi.org.uk/briefing-tragedy-in-the-channel and urge them to work for a humane, realistic, compassionate approach to refugee protection. Ask your MP to stand up for refugee protection https://www.jcwi.org.uk/stand-with-refugees UPCOMING EVENTS Status Now Midlands as part of International Migrants Day 18 December (1-2pm) book tickets here. Please have a look at the Status Now Network website and send us your stories if we have missed them. The website is one of our outfacing sources of information, alongside Facebook and Twitter. Amongst other information you will find new and updated posts, our statements and related Early Day Motions, the Faith Calling Card, information for local councils, Trades Unions and political organisations. |
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