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The refuge offered by a country to those who seek help in times of terrible danger is a touchstone by which any pretensions to social inclusion, compassion, concern for human rights, equality of opportunity and a fight against discrimination can be judged.

It is a touchstone for our society's adherence to social care values.

And that is why our treatment of asylum seekers is important to everyone in social care, whether they work directly with them or not.

Community Care's campaign for 2003 aims to give a voice to our readers who are disgusted by the tide of vitriol in the media and who believe that the atmosphere of hysteria surrounding the asylum issue is damaging to individuals and communities.

As this week's front cover indicates, we want to challenge the prevailing myths with facts and urge our readers to help us. It is simply wrong to state that the majority of asylum applicants are proved to be "bogus". In fact, up to 71 per cent of applicants are either accepted initially, accepted on appeal or rejected purely on procedural grounds.

It is false to claim that the UK gets more than its fair share of asylum seekers. The truth is that the UK takes fewer than 2 per cent of the world's asylum seekers. And between 1992 and 2001, the UK ranked 11th in the European Union for total refugee admissions.

Nor is it true that the UK offers the most generous benefits to asylum seekers in the European Union. Asylum seekers may receive £37.77 a week - 30 per cent below the UK poverty line. In a report studying 40 organisations working with asylum seekers and refugees in July 2002, Oxfam and the Refugee Council found that 85 per cent of asylum seekers experience hunger, 95 per cent cannot afford clothes or shoes and 80 per cent cannot maintain good health because of poverty.

Asylum seekers are too often seen as nothing but a problem. Yet the British Medical Association estimates there are about 3,000 refugee doctors in the UK, and 90 per cent of employers want to take on refugees to meet skills shortages. In addition, many refugees and asylum seekers provide support and care for new arrivals in the country.


Despite the actual and potential benefits asylum seekers and refugees can bring, and despite the moral and legal obligations facing the UK, the current debate is focused on deterrence and control of the asylum "problem". Our campaign will make clear that behind every headline or statistic is a human being, often with a horrific story to tell.

The way we treat asylum seekers would be unthinkable if UK citizens were subjected to it. They can be detained without trial; even young children can be locked up. And despite the government's claim that it is eager to aid the integration of refugees, its treatment of asylum seekers - in many cases, the refugees of the future - makes achieving that aim almost impossible.

In Community Care's exclusive survey this week, you can read what social care professionals have to say about the asylum system. Read our campaign aims and, if you agree with them, please sign our petition. A copy is enclosed with the magazine, and you can also sign online at www.communitycare.co.uk  This is only the start. Watch this space for more campaign activities in the coming months.

Our treatment of asylum seekers strikes at the heart of what social care stands for. Join our campaign: we can challenge policy and we can shift the debate.