Rwanda Bill creating ‘huge impact on mental health’
THE UK Government’s “inhumane and inappropriate” Rwanda plan is “creating huge impacts on people’s health and mental health”, the new CEO of refugee charity Oasis has said.
Susie Ventris-Field said that those who use the Oasis centre in Cardiff have been receiving letters telling them they may be sent to Rwanda under the scheme to move asylum seekers.
“Thinking about the number of asylum seekers that would actually be going, it’s a tiny, tiny number of the people who are here,” said the new CEO. “But the distress and mental health impacts getting a letter like that cause; the uncertainty for people already in uncertain positions is just really inhumane and not proportionate at all.”
Mrs Ventris-Field said the £240 million that has already been paid to Rwanda so far would have been better spent on processing asylum applications quickly and fairly.
“It doesn’t have the same flashy sound as stopping the boats but actually the impact that could have in terms of proper processing, investing in that, it would be a huge impact.”
As of April 14, there were 83,154 applications in the UK waiting for a decision, with 2,337 of those legacy cases meaning asylum seekers have been waiting for two years or more.
“We’d really like to see a step away from those approaches which feel they’re more about political conversation than they are about tackling the issue and more of a focus on things that actually make a difference to offering people a fair hearing
and a warm welcome,” said Mrs Ventris-Field.
“We’d really like to see safe routes for people seeking sanctuary so they’re not put in a position where the only way to get to the UK is through a dangerous route.”
She also emphasised the importance of the rhetoric around refugees and asylum seekers.
“We would really love to see politicians of all parties and at all levels of government from local, national to UK level speaking with humanity.
“Speaking in a way that is not polarising and divisive about refugees and asylum seekers because at the moment the language really matters and the language has been really difficult and it’s been driving real polarisation of the debate.”
Oasis is a centre for refugees and asylum seekers providing legal support, English lessons and lunch every weekday among other services. In 2023 they were visited 20,600 times by people seeking sanctuary.
It was founded more than 15 years ago by Reynette Roberts who retired in August, before Mrs Ventris-Field became CEO at the start of April.
Before coming to Oasis, Mrs Ventris-Field was chief executive of the Welsh Centre for International Affairs and prior to that she worked in sustainable development around the world. Her previous work, as well as personal experience, are what inspired her to take on the job.
“From a personal level I have people within my family who have had to seek sanctuary and I just feel very strongly that the very least we can do is offer a warm welcome to people when they arrive.
“I’ve lived in Eritrea, I’ve lived in Kenya, I’ve lived in South Korea and you just see the shared humanity and the shared love that people have for the place they come from and often the challenge of loving the place you come from and not being able to stay there because of situations really out of your control,” said Mrs Ventris-Field.
The week Mrs Ventris-Field joined Oasis she ran the Vale of Glamorgan ultramarathon with her friend Rachel Cable. They raised more than £3,000 for Oasis.
“When I had my child it became the way I exercised because frankly, and I am sure lots of mothers will sympathise with this, it is something you can do literally anywhere and literally anytime,” she said.
“I love going out on a Sunday for a long run, maybe go off somewhere beautiful, take in the sights, but also just process anything that’s happened in the week, anything I need to think through. I find that it’s a really useful, mindful activity for me.
“I also read a lot, that’s a really good way to unwind but then a lot of the rest of my time is family time, spending time with my husband and daughter and wider family which is also really important to me.”
A key part of the CEO’s role is creating a 10-year strategy for Oasis, including listening to what clients want. She said the priorities for people at the centre are the right to work, mental health which has been impacted by their experiences but “exacerbated by the policy environment”, opportunities for young people, and English speakers of other languages provision.
“Another issue that comes up is that clients want to use their own voices to influence policy, they’ve got ideas they want to share,” said Mrs Ventris-Field.
“So it’s finding ways to make that happen as well.”
Looking to the future, Mrs VentrisField has big plans for where Oasis could go.
She said: “Wouldn’t it be great if Wales was a nation of sanctuary, or if the UK was a nation of sanctuary, or if other countries thought what a great thing we’ll be countries of sanctuary, that that picked up as a movement.
“I would love the idea that wherever you arrived in the UK there was an Oasis waiting to offer a warm welcome. That would be amazing. Just watch this space.”