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The challenges asylum-seekers and refugees face in Ireland

15 August, 2023

By Ru Yi Wong from Eurospeak

There have been over 1,300 people seeking international protection (asylum) in January this year in Ireland, according to The Irish Times (Leahy, 2023). While there has been a decline in numbers since then, mainly due to an increased Garde presence to check passengers disembarking from some planes at the airport, deploying gardai to some foreign airports, the continuing pressure on services for asylum seekers in Ireland and the tome of some Government communications on the issue.

Asylum seekers, refugees and migrants here still face the same issues as they did 10 years ago. Language barriers, financial problems, mental health issues, housing crisis, spending years stuck in Direct Provision due to the long waiting time for their applications to be processed, being separated form their families, risk of xenophobia and discrimination due to their race and the list goes on. On top of that, they face anti-immigration activists and far-right organisations that spreads disinformation about asylum-seekers and refugees in a bid to pit them against other marginalized people in Ireland (Magee, 2023). With more than 120 “anti-immigration” and “anti-housing of refugees” protests across the city so far this year, it is not hard to imagine what these asylum-seekers and refugees are facing and feeling. Coming from another country comes a lot of barriers and challenges that you have to face in order for things to get better, at least this is what we think. For some refugees and asylum-seekers, they are stuck in limbo for years in what is called ‘Direct Provision’ in Ireland.

According to the Irish Refugee Council, “direct provision is Ireland’s system of accommodating those seeking international protection while in the asylum process … providing them with food, board and basic necessities … most people spend an average of three years in Direct Provision and in some cases more than seven years” (Irish Refugee Council, n.d.). Thus, not only do refugees spend copious amounts of time there, but the living conditions there would drive any sane person insane. The problems with Direct Provision are well-documented, with “long processing times leading to lengthy and indefinite delays, inappropriate and substandard accommodation and the lack of sufficient care services and supports” (Irish Refugee Council, n.d.). This takes a toll on the refugees’ mental health. To add to that, the preparation and process leading to the “famous asylum interview” to claim refugee status has a huge burden on said refugees’ mental health as they have to go over what they have been through and tell their stories over and over again (Schock et al, 2015). Furthermore, these interviews have been subjected to great legal discussions over their credibility as people fleeing their country due to a ‘well-
founded fear’ can be subjective as ‘fear’ is subjective (Hathaway and Hicks, 2005).

With the ongoing war in Ukraine, there has been almost 80,000 Ukrainians fleeing their country to seek refuge in Ireland (McGee, 2023). This adds more strain on the housing crisis that asylum-seekers, refugees, and marginalized people face. As more and more people continue to enter the country, there is a tendency to give priority to Ukrainian refugees over refugees from other countries (Prange, 2022). The EU is perceived as being much less welcoming to refugees from Africa, the Middle East, or Asia compared to refugees from Ukraine. In Ireland at least, there are financial incentives in place to offer accommodation to Ukrainian refugees but no incentives in place to host refugees from other countries (Gov.ie, 2023). This creates a disparity or “classism” between Ukrainian refugees and refugees from other countries. By creating this “first class,second class” refugee status based on their skin colour, it is easy to perpetuate this way of thinking and treating asylum-seekers, refugees, and migrants. As racism has long been an issue in Europe, by treating Ukrainian refugees above all other refugees, will it only create more discrimination, ostracism, hatred, and violence towards one another.

On the bright side, with the help of NGOs and INGOs such as the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the Irish Refugee Council, and the Immigrant Council of Ireland, they have helped countless of refugees and migrants settle in Ireland, fighting for their rights, and fighting for their stories to be heard. In particular, College Green Language and Study, who is working with migrants in Ireland to help them integrate better into the Irish society by providing them with English lessons. They will be working with Eurospeak Ireland to help us get in touch with the migrants to carry out interviews for the See Me, Hear Me project. From the outside, it seem like this simple act is nothing big, but to those people this might be all it takes for them to turn their lives around as communication is the key to almost everything. Being able to understand others and express yourself in a foreign language is a feat for the refugees and migrants.

Although it is not to say that just by being able to communicate is enough, it certainly is a small step towards a brighter future in Ireland. And for these asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants here, perhaps they need a sense of hope and support from us.

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