Campaigning for change
Whilst it is essential to provide advice and support for those facing problems with their immigration status or destitution, it is vital we also work to tackle the root causes. Here at Praxis, we campaign to create a world based on dignity, solidarity, and respect. Together, we challenge the hostile policies affecting the lives of the people we work with.
Take action with us:
Meet the Praxis Campaigners: No Recourse to Public Funds Action Group
We work with the No Recourse to Public Funds Action Group to campaign for change. Together, we resist the hostile environment.
We are a group of migrants fighting for equality, justice and fairness for all. But above all, we are human beings. We come together to tackle inequality created by the No Recourse to Public Funds rule. We have lived experience of this policy, this is why we campaign against it. It opposes human dignity.
The treatment we are receiving is the consequence of hostile immigration policies, including the No Recourse to Public Funds condition. These ignore our humanity and are putting people’s mental and physical health at risk. We want to be treated fairly, we have human rights too. We want to support other people affected by this rule and stop the ill-treatment of migrants. We want to change the laws and the political system to a human rights-based system. We want to end the No Recourse to Public Funds policy.
You can read more about how the policy impacts people in the manifesto which we co-produced.
“It’s mostly Black and Asian migrants and their children who suffer from the impact of the No Recourse to Public Funds policy. People of colour have worked endlessly even throughout the pandemic, and have experienced a higher death rate. Yet we are the least recognised by people in power. We give so much but get so little, how is this fair? ”
The change we achieved, together
Exposing the Windrush Scandal
When the Windrush scandal broke we were one of the first points of call for publications in need of expert insight. Our first-hand knowledge was crucial to reportage by publications like The Guardian and the Daily Mail, which placed huge pressure on the Home Office. This led to significant policy change, and more than 6,000 people obtained the documentation they needed to access services and a compensation schemes. We continue to shine a light on the continued hardships and injustices faced by the Windrush Generation at the hands of the Government. Check out our recent research.
“Mostly people assumed these were weird anomalies where something very specific had gone wrong. I realised how rapidly the problem was growing when the charity Praxis said it was seeing more and more cases every year.”
Free school meals for all, no matter their parents’ immigration status
In a major win for the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) Action Group’s campaign, the Department for Education has announced that they will extend access to Free School Meals to all families affected by NRPF. Thank you to all the supporters and allies who joined our call to make sure that free school meals stayed available to all children who need them, no matter their parents' immigration status. From our day to day work with people affected by the NRPF policy, which prevents people from accessing the welfare safety net, even if they’re living in poverty, we’re used to hearing regularly about the hardship they faced being unable to access to Free School Meals. A huge thanks to organisations such as Project 17, The Unity Project, Hackney Migrant Centre, The Children’s Society, Citizens UK and Food Foundation, along with many other allies, for their tireless work campaigning for this cause for years!
“We are tremendously happy to hear today’s good news. This promising development gives us hope. It is so important to safeguard children. This is a step further on our quest: we are closer to ensuring that one of the most basic rights of children, to be well nourished, are being met.”