By Jilna 

Last week, MRN facilitated a workshop for members of the Nigerian Schools Foundation on the Know Your Rights guide. 

We hope to do more workshops like this one, set up to promote a wider community-level understanding of the hostile environment and to link migrant issues with racism, LGBTQ+ rights and other intersectional issues. 

The workshop began with sharing moving stories about people’s lived experiences of migration and movement, setting the context for exploring the notorious hostile environment and its impact on vulnerable undocumented migrants. We explored the rights of migrants and the hoops that they have to jump through just to access basic rights and services, such as housing and employment. There was also robust discussion on the impact of hostile environment policies and practices on BAME people through racial profiling and hate-crime.

The workshop ended with ideas on how people could contribute to resisting the hostile environment, from signing up to visiting people in detention with organisations like SOAS Detainee Support Group, volunteering at migrant centres such as Akwaaba and becoming part of grassroots campaign groups such as Docs not Cops.

We plan to continue to have these conversations and are particularly interested in having them with community groups. If you are a community group interested a Know Your Rights workshop, please get in touch. We also hope to hear from faith groups, which make up a vital part for many migrant communities. For inquiries, please contact Jilna london@migrantsrights.org.uk.