Asylum seekers mostly motivated by war not poverty

War, repression and human rights abuses drive more people to seek asylum in the UK than poverty, according to a report launched today by the Institute for Public Policy research (ippr).

Today's report concludes that European governments should address the underlying factors that force people to leave their countries of origin if they hope to reduce the number of asylum applications.

ippr’s analysis also found that factors such as repression and discrimination of minorities and ethnic conflicts have had the greatest impact on the number of people seeking asylum in Europe in the last decade.

Statistics revealed by the institute show that in 1998 and 1999, during the Kosovo crisis, the largest group of people seeking asylum in the UK from one country were from the former Republic of Yugoslavia (16% of the total). In 2001, during the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, the largest group of asylum seekers came from Afghanistan (13%). In 2002 the largest group of people seeking asylum in the UK from one country were from Iraq (17%).

Heaven Crawley, Migration and Equalities Programme Director, said: “Contrary to the public perception of the majority of asylum seekers being motivated by economic reasons the majority are driven by conflict and repression. The current situation in the Gulf is a very clear example of this.

"We know that the Iraqi people have suffered from massive violations of their human rights and the government has highlighted the experiences of Iraqi exiles in its decision to go to war. Yet over the last three years the vast majority of Iraqi asylum seekers have been refused refugee status and have therefore been viewed by the public as making unfounded claims for protection.

"There is also an urgent need for policy makers to recognise the causes of forced migration and to reflect this in ‘joined-up’ policies across the areas of migration, foreign policy, arms export, trade and development. Too often, existing EU policies contribute to the very conditions that give rise to large-scale migration.

“The research also indicates that it is important to wait until conditions are stable in countries of origin before repatriation begins in order to ensure that the return of asylum seekers is sustainable and does not undermine the process of reconstruction."

Home Office Minister Beverley Hughes rejected the ippr report saying that the "vast majority of people who claim asylum in Britain do not have a valid claim for refugee status".

She added that it was "vital that people have confidence in the system".

(GMcG)