Flash News

Durres Prison 'bastion' of the Socialist Party

Democrats win Kavaja convincingly

Votes were bought for PSD, one person in handcuffs, village headman in Kukës is wanted

Overturning the result in Lezha, PD-ASHM secures 4 MPs

Result/ PS wins for the first time in Paskuqan

Bota

Faced with the crisis, inflation and the cost of living, can asylum seekers survive in Europe?

Politiko 2023-03-19 12:47:00

Faced with the crisis, inflation and the cost of living, can asylum seekers

By late 2021, governments across Europe had barely eased their COVID-19 restrictions when the continent was gripped by a new problem: a cost-of-living crisis caused by rising prices and low wage growth during the last decade.

By 2022, the war in Ukraine threw global supply chains into further disarray, leading to rising inflation, writes Al Jazeera . In January this year, consumer prices in the United Kingdom rose by 10.1 percent and across the euro area by 8.5 percent.

The crisis has shown no signs of abating. But while there is ample evidence of how spiraling costs have overwhelmed low-income families across Europe, the extent and nature of their impact on asylum seekers and undocumented people – already victims of systemic inequalities – remains relatively unclear.

There are more than 2 million asylum seekers in the European Union alone, many of whom have undertaken treacherous journeys to escape conflict and persecution from countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. They often lack access to key financial services and face severe legal and practical barriers to participating in the economy while awaiting decisions on their refugee status.

And in the UK, experts have warned that legislation to ban people who come to the country through irregular channels and stop them ever returning could expose desperate asylum seekers to further exploitation. economic and social.

So how bad are asylum seekers and undocumented people suffering from the cost of living crisis? Are certain groups particularly vulnerable?

The short answer: Food poverty and labor exploitation are hitting asylum seekers harder than citizens, researchers and advocacy groups told Al Jazeera. Women, especially mothers, have found their needs falling into the gaps. But these problems can be alleviated through a range of strategies aimed at socio-economic integration – and hopeful examples already exist.

Në Mbretërinë e Bashkuar, azilkërkuesit në përgjithësi ndalohen nga puna derisa të kenë arritur statusin e refugjatit. Nëse ata nuk marrin një vendim fillestar për kërkesat e tyre për azil brenda 12 muajve, ata mund të aplikojnë për punë vetëm në një listë të përcaktuar nga Zyra e Brendshme për mungesë në Britani, duke përfshirë infermierët, punonjësit socialë dhe inxhinierët.

Edhe pse Zyra e Brendshme thotë se kërkesat për azil përpunohen zakonisht në gjashtë muaj, shoqata bamirëse e Këshillit të Refugjatëve publikoi një raport në vitin 2021 që tregon se koha mesatare e pritjes edhe për një vendim fillestar ka të ngjarë të jetë një deri në tre vjet me disa që presin deri në pesë vjet. Grupet e avokimit vlerësojnë se kjo kohë pritjeje nuk është ulur që atëherë.

Asylum seekers who report that they are poor are provided with housing, but cannot choose where they live. They are entitled to a weekly payment of 45 pounds ($54) to buy essentials. It's a sum that amounts to 2,340 pounds ($2,808) a year.

What's worse, experts told Al Jazeera, is that there are usually long delays for asylum seekers to receive this help. Many wait up to a year.