Meeting for Sufferings: Concern for refugees

An Area Meeting minute prompted reflection

by Trish Carn 10th July 2015

East Kent Area Meeting sent a minute to Sufferings regarding the need for a ‘policy on safe ways of allowing refugees to reach Europe to claim asylum’.

The subject was introduced by Helen Drewery, general secretary of Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW). She said that there is a refugee crisis with the ‘largest number of forced migrants since world war two. There are more than fifty million in the world.’ UNHCR says: ‘Europe is living through a maritime refugee crisis of historic proportions… Most are seeking safety from war and persecution. This crisis is not going away – it is fed by global inequality and injustice and is likely to get worse with the impact of climate change, so it is also about global sustainability.’