Advocating

HIAS+JCORE works for a society where displaced people can flourish. We present a Jewish values-led approach for a fairer, more compassionate asylum system and policy to politicians, policy makers, and the media.

With our partners, we also play a leading role in the conversation advocating for racial justice, especially linking treatment of refugees to racism.

The UK’s asylum system is dehumanising people who deserve protection. And it creates barriers, stopping people from integrating and restricting their chance to thrive.

Our campaigning calls for a new approach: we believe that policy should be based on compassion and fairness, not hostility and cruelty. Led by Jewish values, we lobby politicians and are active in coalitions calling for refugee rights and racial justice. We also believe that faith leaders can make an important difference, and therefore convene an interfaith network, bringing together the call for positive refugee policy.

We know too that the treatment of displaced people and racism are deeply entwined. All too often, displaced people in the UK experience racism and discrimination – whether through our asylum system, dehumanising language from sections of the press and politicians, and the institutional and societal barriers they face. We understand that refugee rights cannot be achieved in isolation from racial justice.

Join our movement and bring positive change for displaced people. Together, we can ensure a strong Jewish voice for refugee rights, and against racism, is heard.

We bring Jewish representation to national campaign coalitions calling for refugee rights and racial justice, and also represent advocacy concerns our project participants face through their everyday experiences of the UK’s asylum system.

Our priorities are:

• Tackling the housing crisis facing refugees, with a goal of introducing a permanent 56 day ‘move-on’ period for new refugees.
• Campaigning for safe routes in partnership with Together With Refugees and Families Together – including urging for the UK’s refugee family reunion scheme to be re-opened and expanded. Download our briefing to learn more about the ‘routes-based’ approach.
• Reversing the citizenship ban facing refugees who were forced to enter the UK irregularly.
• An end to deeply harmful age assessment practices.
• For donors to increase the provision of flexible, timely international aid, ensuring the needs and priorities of forcibly displaced people and host communities are better addressed.
• Standing against racism and for social cohesion as members of the Alliance for Racial Justice.
• Calling for asylum seekers to have the right to work after six months, as members of the Lift the Ban coalition.