United Kingdom
Action for Global Health says it's time for renewed action on antimicrobial resistance, and calls for a greater focus on infection protection
Manchester City of Sanctuary trustee Cameron Boyle said: “This gesture is evidence of our movement of welcome in action.
We are living in an era of polycrisis. Global crises are amplifying, accelerating and synchronising, with huge implications for human and planetary wellbeing.
With climate change, geopolitical instability, and violent conflicts worsening, the time to act on global health is now.
UK health spending has dwindled in recent years, hampering Britain's status as a champion of health for all.
People all over the world should be able to access healthcare equitably. For global health equity to be possible, there are three areas to consider.
Cameron Boyle discusses the reciprocal relationship between climate change and health and the importance of building climate-resilient health systems.
According to Cameron Boyle, communications lead at Manchester City of Sanctuary, the combination of policy and language used in the case of tragedies such as the latest Mediterranean migrant shipwreck “has created a situation where their deaths are normalized.”
When it comes to the debate surrounding immigration and asylum, the language used can have very real consequences.
FEW ISSUES are as charged with opinion as migration. It is a subject that divides and unites, fostering solidarity and discord in equal measure. But, in recent years, the language of migration has been subject to as much scrutiny as the issue itself. At the forefront of this is the 'refugee' or 'migrant' debate.
Seeking asylum is a human right. It should never be limited to the chosen few. Yet on 5 May, the UK government succeeded in turning the Nationality and Borders Bill into law, setting new rules for asylum seekers in the UK and introducing a two-tier system that treats people differently based on how they arrive in the country.
As the Nationality and Borders Bill progresses through parliament and the government unveil its new plan to offshore refugee to Rwanda, the UK is approaching a crossroads. It either turns its back on the international protection system - which states that refugees must not be penalised based on how they arrive - or provides all refugees with an equal level of dignity and support.
OUTSOURCED asylum accommodation lays bare the tragic impact of placing profit before people. In recent weeks, this issue has been put under the spotlight after it emerged that asylum-seekers are housed in abysmal conditions in the Prime Minister's own constituency.
Outsourced asylum accommodation in the UK has been a catastrophic failure. Time and time again, asylum seekers are placed in housing unfit for human habitation, compounding their misery and leaving them unable to rebuild their lives.
A person is not an asylum seeker out of choice. A person is an asylum seeker out of necessity; out of an urgent need for protection from serious human rights abuses in another country. Yet the Nationality and Borders Bill, currently working its way through Parliament, seeks to add to the misery that asylum seekers have endured.
"We're a big hearted nation" were foreign secretary Dominic Raab's exact words when asked how many Afghan refugees would be welcomed into the country following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban."
Hostile policies in the United Kingdom are forcing migrants to suffer for no fault of their own. ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ (NRPF) is a prime example of this - an immigration condition that prevents foreign nationals from accessing mainstream benefits.
WITH SUFFERING SO OFTEN the root cause of migration, providing new arrivals with a safe and secure existence is of the utmost importance. But regrettably, arrival in the host country can throw up an array of new issues, from exploitative employment to social isolation.
The UK is a hostile environment for migrants - as is its media. But when the pandemic struck, and papers across the political spectrum encouraged us to applaud migrant workers, it looked like sentiment might be shifting. Cameron Boyle, political correspondent for the Immigration Advice Service, decided to investigate further.
The British press is notoriously hostile in its coverage of immigration. It is a deeply-ingrained campaign, one that rears its head in inflammatory language, unjust and unfounded associations, and a startling lack of empathy for the harrowing situations that immigrants often face.
On 28 January 2020, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) released a report entitled 'A Points-Based System and Salary Thresholds for Immigration', essentially fleshing out how best to structure the UK's post-Brexit approach to immigration.
Public services ought to fulfil their intended function of providing a vital safety net to all people, regardless of background. But regrettably, migrants and asylum seekers frequently find themselves unable to access various forms of social support, from healthcare to housing to benefits.
Described by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as 'one of, if not the most discriminated people in the world', the Rohingya ethnic group are enduring unthinkable persecution at the hands of the Myanmar state.
In the UK, immigration is frequently characterised as a detriment to the economy. From the repeated assertion that free movement drives down wages, to newspapers proclaiming the harm that migrants inflict on public services, the discourse is awash with the notion that immigration ...
The prospect of elections in Palestine has brought vital hope to a land synonymous with suffering. Despite enduring decades of conflict, loss, and tumult, a "tripartite assault" currently threatens to push the situation beyond repair.
Football has always been far, far, greater than the sum of its parts. It is a vehicle for change, a sense of belonging, a source of togetherness, and a universal language. It possesses a unique ability to transcend; to move beyond sport and play a pivotal role in the most pressing issues of our time....
When singer-songwriter Adele posted an Instagram photo to mark this year's cancelled Notting Hill Carnival, the world of social media was thrown into a state of frenzy. Yet this did not stem from an outpouring of adulation for the singer herself, nor from a swell of sadness regarding the carnival's cancellation.
For vulnerable migrants and refugees, arrival in the host society ought to signify the start of a more stable and positive existence.
In China's Xinjiang region, the Uyghur people are mercilessly persecuted by the state. Every aspect of life is under constant surveillance, reducing day-to-day life to a never-ending cycle of paranoia.
Yemen is a country torn apart by suffering. Since the modern nation's inception in 1990, conflict has been a constant, with failed political transitions and military insurrections heaping misery and pain upon the populace.
When the new points-based immigration system (PBS) comes into effect on 1 January 2021, the UK's participation in EU freedom of movement will end, and EU citizens will be subject to the same immigration requirements as all other overseas nationals.
On the 1st of January 2021, UK immigration policy will undergo some seismic changes. Not only will the new points-based immigration system come into effect, but participation in EU freedom of movement will come to an end, meaning that EU citizens will be subject to the same immigration requirements as all other overseas nationals.
UK print media coverage of immigration is noted for its hostility and divisiveness. From the cliché that migrants heap unsustainable pressure on public services, to the depiction of asylum seekers fleeing persecution as 'invaders', various newspapers possess a seemingly ideological drive to enshroud immigration in a tide of negativity.
The British press is notably hostile in its coverage of immigration. Between 2010 and 2016, the Daily Express ran a staggering 179 front pages devoted to anti-migrant stories, with the Daily Mail publishing 122 over the same period.
COVID-19 has inflicted disproportionate levels of hardship on BAME groups. Yet the situation cannot change for the better until there is a full and frank discussion about why it has occurred. Within the factors thought to play a part, it is important to recognise one recurring theme: inequality. He
After the coronavirus crisis and the recognised contribution of key workers, many of whom are immigrants, has this changed the immigration debate?
Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups are suffering disproportionately from coronavirus (Covid-19). Despite accounting for just 14% of the population in England and Wales, they have accounted for 34% of the patients admitted to Intensive Care Units. Added to this, a number of minority ethnic groups have experienced greater numbers of deaths per capita than the white British majority.
As the COVID-19 era has progressed, more and more data has pointed towards a deeply harrowing truth – the virus is having a disproportionate impact on BAME groups.
As the COVID-19 crisis grows greater, it is imperative that all people are safeguarded. Yet asylum seekers in the UK are at immense risk due to the lack of support available to them. For the health of our society, they must not be forgotten.
Inadequate government support is leaving asylum seekers uniquely exposed to coronavirus and its impact. The accommodation provided to asylum seekers is riddled with problems, and frequently leads to both misery and ill-health.
As COVID-19 constitutes the most significant public health crisis in a generation, the need for universal access to healthcare could not be more important. Yet there are a number of barriers in place preventing asylum seekers from accessing the treatment they need. The Cost of Treatment With t
The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes the most significant public health crisis in decades. With the number of deaths rising each day, there is an urgent need for all people to be adequately safeguarded. Yet for asylum seekers in the UK, barriers to healthcare and the inadequate provision of housing leave them dangerously exposed to the disease and its impact.
On Tuesday, the government's Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommended that, after Brexit, the current £30,000 salary threshold for work visa applicants should be dropped to £25,600. This will create more opportunities for highly-skilled workers to move to the UK at the start of their pay scale.
The UK print media has a chequered history of callous and unbalanced reporting. Yet even by these standards, the vitriolic portrayal of migrants plumbs new depths.
MIGRANTS are deeply vilified by the British press, despite frequently having fled war and persecution, faced life-threatening situations in pursuit of safety and been prevented from forging a meaningful existence in Britain. Coverage of migration is not only immensely hostile, but strikingly one-sided and totally lacking in alternative perspectives.
The print media's vendetta against migrants is well-documented. In the run-up to the EU referendum, when public concern over immigration reached its height, newspaper coverage of the issue reached a corresponding moral lowpoint.
Workplace equality will only be achieved when career prospects are defined by aptitude and ability alone. Yet black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) individuals face barriers that unjustly prevent career ambitions from being fulfilled.
Since Brexit's inception, immigration has been a hugely dominant theme. Theresa May's government pledged to reduce net migration to the 'tens of thousands', a proclamation[1] aimed at capitalising on anti-immigrant public opinion. Yet attitudes towards the issue are far from simple, and closer inspection reveals a nation hugely divided in its views.
Football is a universal language. It transcends even the most deep-rooted of differences, allowing all who speak its tongue to find common ground and a shared identity. Such qualities are of huge relevance to asylum seekers; atomised, marginalised and alone in an unfamiliar country. Football is a way of remedying this.
Brexit will change the face of Northern Ireland. Its social and economic wellbeing has taken a back seat throughout the entire process, with a lack of forward thinking in Westminster compromising the future of a nation.
With a further extension of Brexit deadline day now on the table, the future for Northern Ireland - and the Irish Backstop - appears increasingly uncertain. Parliamentary negotiations are in a state of deadlock, yet our Prime Minister remains committed to the hardest possible form of Brexit.
As we hurtle towards our Brexit deadline of the 31 st of October, the prospect of leaving without a deal appears increasingly likely. Not only this, but Boris Johnson has now described the Irish backstop - a means of ensuring ease of trade and an open border- as 'dead'.
Many children of migrants in the UK are living in indescribably desperate conditions due to the immigration status of their parents. Food poverty, street homelessness and abject destitution are commonplace, yet their voices continue to be ignored in decision-making.
Humane societies ensure that all children are provided for, but that's not a fair description of the UK right now. Destitution, homelessness and desperation are rife. The hopeless situations they find themselves in are unjust and undeserved. They stem from the immigration status of their parents.
The term 'Oxbridge' still evokes thoughts of white privilege. It is not images of a multi-ethnic, diverse student population that such institutions elicit, but ideas of wealth and elitism. Regrettably, this is far from an ageing stereotype; these associations are grounded in fact.