Having fled the Taliban as a little girl, I know what it is like to try to integrate into a new society. But I now study for a PhD at Cambridge and call the UK home.
Intolerance is a danger. Let us challenge the circulating rhetoric about immigrants. Public Health England has highlighted that black, Asian and minority ethnic communities are hit hardest by Covid-19, but refugees are not burdens – they are assets working as frontline staff during the pandemic.
Celebrations are limited in this year’s Refugee Week (15-21 June), but we can highlight refugees’ contribution by tweeting with the hashtag #RefugeeWeek and visiting the Refugee Week website to see what simple acts we can do – for example, tune into a live workshop or read a book on migration. Let Covid-19 be an opportunity to reset our approach to refugees and foster mutual respect among cultures and people.
Rabia Nasimi
Afghanistan and Central Asian Association
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