A week-long exhibition by Leeds Church Institute
For the 25th anniversary of Refugee Week, the Minster will host a week-long exhibition by Leeds Church Institute examining the journey that people face when seeking asylum.
Following the launch event on the evening of Monday 19th June, the exhibition continues on Tuesday 20th to Friday 23rd June (11am to 2pm) and on Saturday 24th June (11am to 1pm).
The exhibition highlights the true hidden stories of the women who have experienced their human rights being opposed, their possessions taken away from them and the actions they took to protest inhumane practices within the Immigration Removal Centre (IRC).
From hearing the true stories of people who have experience the journey of seeking asylum, it seems as though they can often be treated as criminals, as they are refused the rights to contact their family or friends. In addition to asylum seekers not having the option to contact their social networks, people are not allowed to visit IRCs, to see the practices that are happening inside.
Unfortunately, asylum seekers can end up having the negative experience of being within the detention centres due to their name being misspelt on their proof identification. Although this error may not be a fault of the asylum seekers, they can face the punishment of being held in an IRC until the error is amended. Whether they find asylum within the UK or they are sent back to their country of origin, dependent on the decisions made by the workers within the detention centre, asylum seekers await their fate in a hostile environment.
By shining a light on these issues and practices, this event hopes to allow people to understand the difficulties that asylum seekers can face and the social isolation from their families and friends.
