Paper details
| Paper authors | Susanne Jaspars |
| In panel on | Everyday violence and resistance in Europe’s ‘migration management’ during the Covid-19 pandemic |
| Paper presenter(s) will be presenting |
In-Person / |
Abstract
Sudanese migration to Europe increased from 2014 to 2016, during the so-called European refugee crisis. For people from conflict-affected Darfur, this was a new trend. Fleeing conflict and violence, the majority are trafficked in Libya and experience more violence in Europe. Darfuris are particularly vulnerable because they are amongst the most economically disadvantaged, often having limited education or language skills. Many got stranded on Europe’s borders. During the pandemic, as small boat journeys across the Channel increased, more Sudanese arrived in the UK. In the year ending June 2021, their asylum applications increased by 77% when overall applications went down. This paper analyses their experience of the UK asylum system over the past year based on my voluntary refugee support work and my previous research, and expands on an earlier blog on the same topic. It argues that Sudanese individuals experience a vast range of everyday cruelties that make it difficult to claim asylum, that limit access to health care, food or cash assistance, and that monitor, isolate and re-traumatise – actually putting lives at risk. The paper also argues that they will be particularly affected by the new UK Borders and Immigration Bill, becoming a second class refugee subjected to increased cruelty of uncertainty and delay. Finally, I explore what resistance is possible.
