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Editorial:
"There's Nothing New About Change"
Anna Rankin
Comment:
Embracing the Stranger
Denise Wright
From
the Director: Change and Decay – so what's new?
David W Porter
Alwyn
Thomson
Ethel White
A
Changing Church
Chris Easton
Women,
the Church and Change
Lesley Carroll
Interview
with Noel Fallows: Multi-cultural Church Life
Anna Rankin
Urban
Grit
Ken Groves
Higher
Throne
Keith
Getty & Kristyn Lennox
2003
Conference: Reconciliation – Illusion or Elusive?
What's
Jesus got to do with Forgiveness?
Stuart Noble
Review:
Lost in Translation
Gareth Higgins
Review:
The Church Beyond the Congregation by James Thwaites
Claire Martin
Review:
A Time for Mission by Samuel Escobar
Ben
Walker
Review:
Against the Stream by David W Smith
Cheryl
Reid
Review:
Evangelicalism and National Identity in Ulster, 1921-1998 by Patrick
Mitchel
David Hewitt
Review:
I was a teenage Catholic by Malachi O'Doherty
Fran
Porter
Asylum Statistics for Republic of Ireland:
Asylum Applications
in Republic of Ireland
January - December 2003 7,483
January - December 2002 11,598
This decrease exceeds the 16% decrease worldwide noted by UNHCR
Recognised as refugees in 2003 1,170
345 at first instance
825 at appeal stage
Recognised as refugees 1994 - 2003 5,600
Top countries
of origin for asylum seekers in 2003
Nigeria 39%
Romania 10%
Moldova 3%
DR Congo 3%
Czech Republic 2.5%
Unsuccessful applications 2003 2,410
Deportation orders effected in 2003 590
(less than 25% of those who received a deportation order)
Top countries
of origin of those deported
Almost 30% came from 5 of the 10 countries about to join the European
Union. Nationals from all accession countries can come freely to Ireland
from 1 May 2004 onwards.
A further 30% came from Romania and Bulgaria, which are due to join the
EU in 2007.
Backlog of unprocessed applications at 31/12/03
7,390
4,554 first instance
2,836 appeal
Dispersal and Direct Provision
At 31/12/03, 5,500 asylum seekers were resident in 63 centres in 24 counties
in the Republic.
Useful organisations
- websites:
Irish Refugee Council:
www.irishrefugeecouncil.ie
Refugee Information Service: www.ris.ie
Integrating Ireland - The National Network of Asylum and Immigrant Support
Groups: www.integratingireland.ie
Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities: www.nicem.org.uk
Democratic Dialogue: www.democraticdialogue.org
Embrace: www.embraceni.org
Multi-Cultural Resource Centre:
www.mcrc-ni.org
Equality Commission for Northern Ireland: www.equalityni.org
Useful web pages:
www.nccri.com/refugees/html
www.eauk.org/contentmanager/political/content/
politicsandsociety/currentpoliticalissues.cfm
www.amnesty.org.uk/ni/campaigns/refugees.shtml
www.catholiccommunications.ie/sanctuary.html
www.amnesty.ie/user/content/view/full/731
Books and reports:
Asylum Voices, Andrew Bradstock and Arlington Trotman, CTBI, 2003.
No Welcome Here? Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Ireland and Britain,
Colin Harvey, etc., Democratic Dialogue, 2001. (Available from Democratic
Dialogue, 53 University Street, Belfast BT7 1FY.)
Desperately Seeking Asylum, Helen Kimble, Wild Goose, 1998.
Sanctuary in a Cell: The Detention of Asylum Seekers in Northern Ireland,
Victoria Tennant. Original report by the Law Centre (NI) available from
the Law Centre, £9.95.
Sanctuary in a Cell – Update, Emily Threlfall is now also
available, priced £4.95
What the Bible says about the Stranger (Churches' Peace Education
Programme, Interchurch House, 48 Elmwood Ave, Belfast, BT9 6DW).
Forced to Flee: frequently asked questions about asylum seekers and
refugees, Refugee Action Group.
(please note some information in this publication is now out of date e.g.
the voucher system was abolished and asylum seekers eligible for support
receive 70% income support in cash; asylum seekers are no longer allowed
to work at any stage while their claim is being processed.)
A Place of Refuge? Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Northern Ireland:
A Needs Assessment,Dr Robbie McVeigh.
(Both available from the Multi-Cultural Resource Centre, 9 Lower Crescent,
Belfast BT7 1NR. Pdf versions of both documents are on the Multi-Cultural
Resource Centre website:
www.mcrc-ni.org).
Policy on Refugees & Asylum Seekers, A Report by the Race Relations
Committee to the 2003 Presbyterian Church in Ireland. (Church House,
Belfast BT1 6DW, available as pdf on www.presbyterianireland.org).
There are no dedicated detention facilities for those seeking asylum in Northern Ireland. Asylum seekers detained in Northern Ireland are currently held in Maghaberry prison as no 'better alternative' is available. These immigration detainees are currently housed in the same wing as paramilitary prisoners.
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