The Greenwich Borough of Sanctuary group has launched their new report on challenges faced by people from migrant, refugee and asylum seeking backgrounds in Greenwich at the National Maritime Museum this Refugee Week. 

The ‘Voices of Sanctuary event’ took place on Thursday 23rd June to an audience from across the borough. 

The event featured the report launch and an interactive panel discussion exploring the ways in which Greenwich can continue working towards becoming a Borough of Sanctuary, a place where everyone can feel safe, regardless of their background. 

The report itself comes out around the 10 year anniversary of Theresa May’s ‘hostile environment’ policy. It is built around the experiences of hundreds of people from sanctuary seeking backgrounds in Greenwich. 

Talking about access to healthcare in Greenwich, one participant from a migrant background said ‘I know people here who have died in their room because they don’t want to go to the hospital because they say “you’re going to expose me [to the Home Office].”’

Healthcare, housing, cultural barriers, work and rights are all areas that need improvement, according to contributors. The report proposes solutions that would help Greenwich to overcome these challenges and the Greenwich Borough of Sanctuary group seek to work in collaboration with others on this project. 

The event was hosted by Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network and Greenwich Inclusion Project as members of the Greenwich Borough of Sanctuary group, and is part of a programme of activities taking place in the borough for Refugee Week. 

Read the report by clicking here.