How many people on Ebay would take a refugee family into there own home?

[tommy.irene]

How many people on Ebay would take a refugee family into there own home?..... I wouldnt.....

[tommy.irene]

I THINK PEOPLE NEED HELP AT HOME FIRST..http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/irelands-homeless-crisis-repossessions-set-6389803

[dark_castle1]

Like you I would not because I firmly believe the homeless here should be sorted out first.

[bitsnknots]

I'm a firm believer in charity begins at home.  Also, we wouldn't have room to take anyone in.

[tommy.irene]

I dont see Lord and Lady xxx taking in anyone too their 100 empty rooms house..only offers from poor people..

[dark_castle1]

Like always it is the poorer people who have either experienced hardship or are experiencing it that hold out the hand of friendship.

Having been brought up in a mining village I have experienced hardship as we were dirt poor but I would rather hold my hand out to some of the unfortunates at home long before I would take refugees in, some of which are in safe countries and only want in here as the UK is seen as a soft touch.

[2017clearout]

I wouldn't - because I don't think it's the role of an individual to accept refugees or asylum seekers, but of the state.  I have, however, hosted internally displaced people in my home in the past, when I was living overseas and people moved from one area of the country because of conflict.

The migrant/refugee "crisis" is being reported very badly imo, and becoming very emotive and un-nuanced.  By and large, the Syrians are not "fleeing Syria" - very, very few Syrians come directly from Syria, for various reasons: but it makes a better to story to pretend that Europe is heartlessly turning people back to be slaughtered.

I've spent my summer interviewing migrants in East Africa, and what really struck me is that those affected by war in Chad, South Sudan and the CAR go to camps in neighbouring countries - but I didn't meet a single one of those who was seeking to migrate further.  Once a refugee is settled in a third country, they essentially never go home - whereas those who go to camps (or are internally diplaced) mainly do: before the creation of South Sudan, many thousands of people had been in camps for more than 20 years, but still desired "home" - which raises other questions: is resettlement in a third country the best outcome, at this stage, for those displaced in Syria and Iraq?

I think the whole proliferation has a huge amount to do with the rise in people smuggling and ease of modern communication (it used to be really hard to find someone, so you either had to do it alone, or scratch about for ages trying to find someone to assist) and less to do with the state of the world.  

I notice too that the media are focussing on the Syrians - but being careful not to interview the Afghans, Iranians, Kosovars and others (many of whom are young men, which tends to indicate a different type of migratory demographic) - but the truth wouldn't be such a good story, I think!

I am one of the people available to do Country of Origin Information reports for asylum and refugee cases: in the past, people would pretend to be Palestinian - I suspect we will now see huge waves of people pretending to be Syrian...

[oakleaffy]

Hefzi,fascinating post.

We had a family member who worked overseas with Oxfam, and had travelled widely all her life in many conflict areas.

Before her untimely death, she was working with a Refugee charity in Southern England.

For sure, many Afghans want to come to Europe, and often a family will scrape together funds to enable one member [usually a young man] to leave ''for a better life''.

But they missed home deeply. Economic migrants , there are many, of course, but in a way, who can blame people from trying for a ''better life''..BUT the UK is groaning at the seams, we can barely house the people already here, and the NHS is on it's knees.

There was a TV programme recently that interviewed Syrian refugees in Sweden, and they missed Home.

They were housed in a rather bleak block of flats, but the surrounding village was beautiful...but beautiful scenery is no good if you cannot work or integrate happily.

People smugglers are criminal. They definitely have blood on their hands.

Also, what jobs could the migrants do, if they cannot speak English, and are unskilled? ..even skilled workers would need a working knowledge of English to get by?

[oakleaffy]

 ''Would you take in a refugee family?''

Most of us wouldn't have the room to house a family, plus the language barrier &c.

But most of us would squeeze in a family member who needed  a roof for whatever reason.

Or even a family members partner.

Living alongside others can be hard enough even when you all think in a similar way, and speak the same language.

The refugee problem is huge, complex, and can't see any easy solutions.

I agree it is those who have experienced hardship in the past who are usually the most helpful, maybe as they have an understanding of what it is like.

The wealthy tend to live in areas where migrants cannot afford to live, and ''I'm alright, Jack'' seems to be the way of thinking.

''Out of sight, out of mind''.

[2017clearout]

Oak, I totally agree with you: I absolutely understand why people seek a better life for themselves or their children.  And a lot of people who do so are willing to work hard etc when they get to the promised land.  The problem is, though, as you say, that the reality often jars - you can't speak the language, you might spend years waiting to be accepted and thus be allowed to work legally, and you'll get homesick whether that's for family, food or landscape.

The interesting thing with economic migrants, though, is that when they reach a critical mass in an area, you start to see jobs for them becoming easier - round me, there are Roma "gang bosses" who have various jobs sewn up, and an unemployed British native would never be hired (and wouldn't want to - they don't get minimum wage, have ridiculous hours and are hopelessly exploited - but that's another story...) because the foremen on the sites are all Roma, and only speak Slovak and their own dialect.  I've heard similar stories with Poles (apparently, there's a chicken processing factory somewhere here in the NW where they *will* hire anyone -but those I know who've worked there found themselves really alienated, because they couldn't necessarily communicate with the other workers, and couldn't always understand what instructions they were being given, because the langauge of the factory is Polish).

It is often young men who are sent by their families too - they often come from cultures where it wouldn't be thought of to send a young woman, because of honour etc (and let's face it, it's dangerous enough for the men) - that's why the fact that 75% of those coming through Greece at the moment are young men mean it's unlikely that they are refugees.  The stats for Syrians are better - but only 51% being women or children is still on the lower side of what could be expected.  And with the news of the chicanery with Syrian passports in Amman, it just gets worse...

I know the INS gets a bad press for the way it investigates claims, but the problem is like benefits, really - the scumbags who lie and abuse the system end up making things harder for the genuine claimants.

[oakleaffy]

Yes, The Roma lot.... the big issue lot are really awful.

They have the sale of these sewn up, and I have seen British ''homeless'' [in actual fact they are on benefits, but pay for their drugs by selling the Big issue] be harrassed and bullied by the Roma lot. 

[the local addicts, would far rather they sold the big issue than stole to fund their habit]

When I walked into the big issue office to ask why they allow such organised selling and bullying, they say ''anyone can sell the big issue''.

The sellers are often roma women, and they are kitted up with mobile phones, and are in constant contact with each other.

When a local seller [addict] was bullied off his site [and in tears] the police were called after a big fat Roma man got out of a mercedes and grabbed the skinny addict by his lapels.

Disgraceful behavour.

And they have the benefits system down to a ''T''.

But the Polish are hard workers.

A local house near here was rebuilt by Polish labour, it was one of the snowy winters...my central heating had packed up and I was chopping wood in the front garden several times in a day to put in the woodburner, and the Polish were the only ones who managed to get their van down the road. Most people stayed home. My son got his van going with cardboard under the wheels, but the Polish

 used sheer muscle power to push their van up the icy camber.

They worked long days too...no knocking off at 4, and they were on site by 7.30.

They are grafters, for sure.

The Afghans.. haven't had much experience of them, but my Refugee support worker has a real soft spot for the young Afghans.

But again, mentioned the alienation, and lack of opportunity.

The Chinese too seem to keep themselves to themselves, and are hard working.

The deaths of the Chinese cockle collectors still makes me feel sad, they were seriously exploited, and Morecombe Sands are a dangerous place. The sea comes in faster than a horse can gallop.

What hope for people who don't know the risks?

[tommy.irene]

How Spain halted the flow of migrants from Mauritania to the Canary Islands