Dallal E. Stevens

The Migration of the Romanian Roma to the UK: A Contextual Study

This article examines the reasons for the recent migration of Romanian Roma to the UK. Commencing with a historical overview of the treatment of the Roma in Romania, it goes on to consider the extent to which conditions have changed for this minority group in the post-Communist era, from both a national and international perspective. The article then presents the results of empirical work undertaken in Romania between July 2001 and February 2002, in which a number of Roma who travelled to the UK and returned to Romania were interviewed and asked about their motivations for migrating. Finally, it discusses the UK’s handling of Roma asylum cases, both by the Home Office and Immigration Appellate Authorities. The article’s conclusion is that the Romanian Roma continue to be a marginalized people whose fundamental human rights are either protected in limited form or not at all. Yet European Union states and international bodies, such as the European Commission and the UN, continue to hold to the view that persecution is now seldom in evidence and that, in any case, the responsibility for protection rests on the somewhat narrow shoulders of the home country.

What Do We Mean by Protection

Protection is arguably the raison-d’etre of refugee policy. Yet, surprisingly, the meaning of protection is not without ambiguity. ‘Domestic protection’ can be distinguished from ‘international protection’; the sense attributed to protection within the 1951 Refugee Convention contrasts with that of the 1950 UNHCR Statute. Equally, how the state interprets its protective obligations departs frequently from the practice of humanitarian organisations. Alongside such differences, there has been a proliferation of protection concepts in recent years which, far from improving understanding, have added unnecessary confusion and undermined the fundamental purpose of protection. This article considers the language of ‘protection’ within the refugee field and argues that protection proliferation must now be addressed and reversed.

Crossing the Eastern Mediterranean Sea in Search of 'Protection'

ABSTRACT This article examines two particular aspects of the 2015 “migration crisis”: the implications of EU laws and policies for refugee protection and the manner in which policy fluctuated in response to the movement of people. It explores the legal and conceptual challenges posed by protection and addresses an often-neglected dimension– that of “agency” of the individual. This contribution examines the response of policymakers/lawmakers to the “migration crisis” and contrasts this with the expectations of those migrating in search of safety and a life of dignity. The piece draws on rich interview data with new arrivals to Kos in September 2015.