UK: “Schools Against Deportation” campaign launched
01 March 2005
A group of students, teachers, headteachers, lecturers, trade unionist and others in the education system have issued a "declaration against deportations" expressing their concern "about the damaging impact which the threat of deportation or actual deportation can have on children and young people studying in schools and colleges." Schools Against Deportations have launched a website and are calling for signatories to their declaration. The declarations says:
"We, teachers, headteachers, lecturers, teaching assistants, students, young people, trade-unionists, mentors and others working in the education system are concerned about the damaging impact which the threat of deportation or actual deportation can have on children and young people studying in schools and colleges. Deportation affects a child's educational progress, health and well-being. We are also deeply concerned about the detrimental effect on the wider school or college community when personal relationships are disrupted and friends are separated.
We also note that, in recent years, a number of schools and colleges across the UK have supported children and young people affected by the threat of deportation and have successfully campaigned for the rights of the families concerned, to stay. Many of these children and young people had settled in, made friends and progressed as part of the school community, prior to their facing a threat of deportation. The campaigns fought on their behalf have been widely supported by children and young people from all backgrounds.
Therefore:
We believe that the best interests of a child or young person studying in our school/college should come first and that these are best served by allowing her or him to remain in the UK.
We commit whatever support and care we can to any child or young person in our school/college who is threatened with deportation under Immigration Act powers.
We commit ourselves to use whatever legal means are available to persuade the Home Office to revoke any order of deportation affecting any child or young person in our school/college."
On the website you can join the campaign and add your name to the declaration on:
www.schoolsagaisntdeportations.org