Background
The UK has for many years been a destination for those seeking asylum and today asylum seekers come here from over 36 countries. Under the 1951 Refugee Convention asylum seekers must prove they are persecuted as individuals and in danger if they return and it is only by convincing the authorities of this danger that they can be granted the title 'refugee'. Those who are not successful in their attempts to do this are deemed to be 'failed asylum seekers' and are likely to be returned to their country of origin. Legislation since the 1990s has made it virtually impossible for asylum seekers to enter the country legally and material conditions for asylum seekers have become increasingly difficult with dispersal, destitution, forced removals, combining with poor housing, limited access to legal support and sometimes the risk of harassment or racial attack. Many projects to help refugees have been set up by refugee organisations, as well as by the voluntary and statutory sectors which aim to provide advice and support usually of a practical or material nature. A large number also exist to open up opportunities for creativity and self expression, enabling refugees to negotiate shifting identities, and to provide ways in which arts and cultures from the 'home country' can be kept alive.
