Yesterday, nine delegates representing Swansea and Cardiff City of Sanctuary groups attended the fourth annual Sanctuary in Parliament event which focused on taking action to end poverty and homelessness in the asylum system.
There were three key asks:
- People seeking asylum should be granted permission to work after waiting for 6 months for a decision on their case. There should be no restrictions on the work that they undertake
- Asylum support should be raised to at least 70% of income support
- The move on period should be increased to at least 50 days to avoid any gaps in support
The day included powerful testimonies from people seeking sanctuary, including insight from our very own Hannah Sabatia, the Share Tawe Development Worker. Attendees were also privileged to hear poems from the newly published My Heart Loves in My Language anthology.
L-R: Joe Allen (Asylum Matters), Tonia Anotoniazzi MP, Rebecca Scott (Wales Cities of Sanctuary Coordinator).
L-R: Eleri Williams (Swansea City of Sanctuary Development Worker), Carolyn Harris MP, Saba, Rebecca Scott (Wales Cities of Sanctuary Coordinator).
L-R: Eleri Williams (Swansea City of Sanctuary Development Worker), Geraint Davies MP, Rebecca Scott (Wales Cities of Sanctuary Coordinator).
Sanctuary in Parliament provides an excellent opportunity for individuals to meet with their elected representatives in Westminster. We are delighted that we were able to meet with each of our elected representatives; Gower’s Tonia Antoniazzi MP, Swansea East’s Carolyn Harris MP, and Swansea West’s Geraint Davies MP.
A Swansea City of Sanctuary representative who is currently seeking asylum provided the following reflection from the event:
“I was happy to see all the people got together to make a difference to the asylum system and I really hope that our MPs got the message too. I expected more MPs in the audience as it would have been more effective. I’m glad I got the chance to speak to the MP who represents me. Thank you City of Sanctuary Team.”
