Doctors of the World statement on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill

23 April 2024 – The UK Parliament has voted to pass the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, creating a law which effectively undermines the Refugee Convention.

This policy, which forcibly expels people arriving in the UK in search of safety, is drawn directly from Australia’s ‘offshoring’ model – an approach which has caused catastrophic and irreparable physical and mental consequences for the men, women and children affected.

In November 2023 the UK Supreme Court ruled that sending asylum seekers to Rwanda presents a risk of mistreatment including a risk of refoulement.

Doctors of the World UK continually highlighted the negative impact the Bill would have on the health, wellbeing and dignity of people seeking safety in the UK. We are deeply concerned that many of our patients are now at risk of being forcibly removed to Rwanda.

Refugees should not be made to survive more violence, persecution or trauma. We call on the UK government to abandon this harmful policy, and to establish safe routes to the UK and a fair and efficient asylum system.

For more details see our briefing on the medical consequences of the Safety of Rwanda Asylum and Immigration Bill.