We spoke to ITV News on the mental health support for Afghan refugees coming into the UK.
We spoke on the need for appropriate mental health provision for Afghan refugees. We need this Gov to scrap the Borders Bill which will only be detrimental to mental health of asylum seekers & refugees coming to the UK. Studies by PTSD UK have shown that an upward of 40% of refugees, and as many as 90% of refugee children, suffer from PTSD; further, approximately 2 in 5 asylum rejections are corrected upon appeal. Which is an extremely worrying figure when considering the increased trauma and distress that a deportation to a ‘safe’ third country will cause a person. It must also be acknowledged that, in many cases, traumatic events are further endured whilst travelling.
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The support services are there, but currently overstretched. We are doing as much as we can to offer assistance, but we are deeply troubled by the lack of guidance from Government regarding Afghans who will absolutely have no other alternative than an irregular route into the UK. The Nationality & Borders Bill has been widely criticised and as we can see playing out, it will just be another way to punish and criminalise people who are are already traumatised and are just seeking safety.
We’ve seen how the mental & physical health of the Windrush survivors and Highly Skilled Migrants has dwindled due to their treatment from the Home Office and the ‘Hostile Environment’ and now this crisis will result in similar outcomes unless the Government take notice of what migrants’ rights organisations like ourselves are saying.