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Asylum Seekers Essay

I have chosen to do my discursive essay on asylum seekers. I will try to separate lies from facts. I had to think carefully about this topic as there are so many different views on asylum seekers. I also opted to look into asylum seekers because I found that they are an extremely oppressed group. I will give pros and cons on asylum seekers and try to balance out my argument.

The impact and influences people in power have on the mass media is tremendous. Together with the negative media coverage, asylum seekers have been given such a bad image. International asylum law defines an asylum seeker as someone who seeks asylum in a foreign country because of war, violence or out of fear of persecution. Only after the recognition of the asylum seekers protection needs, he or she is officially referred to as an asylum seeker and enjoys asylum seeker status, which carries certain rights and obligations according the receiving country. Over the last four years there have been 138,530 asylum seekers in the UK alone.

There are many claims about asylum seekers that give them this – Britain is known for asylum seekers to do what they want wherever and whenever they want; but asylum seekers are not allowed to claim welfare benefits in the UK. I found out about forty organisations working with asylum seekers and it says that 85% starve because they have no food to live on and 95% cannot afford to buy clothes or shoes and 80% are not able to maintain a good healthy life. I also found out that nine out of ten asylum seekers will pretend to be in danger to get into Britain. Over half of asylum seekers in the UK are given permission to stay here.

The ideas that are often portrayed of asylum seekers are not just ones of foreigners trying to get into Britain but sometimes asylum seekers are accused of being criminals. I found out that having fled danger in their home country asylum seekers are more likely to become victims of crime in the UK .Most asylum seekers that come to Scotland think that it’s amazing, outstanding some even say paradise. This shows us the impact and difference it actually has on their life. In Afghanistan you wouldn’t be able to go a walk, go out with friends for a while like you do here; there are bombs going off, dead bodies lying around the streets and you would hardly see any of your friends and family.

Most of them don’t even go to school whereas in the UK they love going to school even though most of us hate it, they love the fact that they are learning and are getting an education but a down point to going to school over here is that they would have to learn English and know it really well if not then they would find it very difficult. Some say that Scottish are the best people ever and they feel so welcomed when they come here. The list could go on. In Afghanistan they would have to have an arranged marriage where they have no say on what happens and when it happens. Whereas here in the UK they can get married whenever they want and whatever age they want they might not even get married. It would be their own choice. On the other hand people in Scotland /UK don’t think about all those horrible things that happen in Afghanistan.

Some people just presume because they’re not from here or had a different coloured skin that they are terrorists. Some are even scared. And some even bully them because they are a different race or have lost a family member. We dont think of what we actually have… fully educated and we can do a lot more things that they can’t do.

When they come to the UK most asylum seekers would do anything for a job they think that British people are so lucky to live a as they say a normal life, but the downside to that is they take jobs away from local people which makes them more angry. Some UK citizens can’t tell the difference between asylum seekers and illegal immigrants they are discriminated against because of this. Some asylum seekers can make a positive contribution to the economy and local community by having a special talent and can help out.

To summarise the discusion of asylum seekers is that there a lot of different views on them. There are so many pros and cons but I have only chosen ones I thought stand out and give good evidence. It’s really yourself that needs to decide what you think on asylum seekers, other people may think different from you but it’s you own opinion and not all asylum seekers are the same.

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Courtney from Study Moose
