Walking with refugees
Plateau Perspectives stands in solidarity with refugees by offering practical support for daily living and assistance in navigating pathways to safety. This includes helping individuals connect with sponsoring groups in countries such as Canada, enabling them to start rebuilding their lives and to move beyond the insecure conditions that originally led to their displacement.
For example, individuals and families from mountain regions in Afghanistan have been forced to flee due to severe persecution—whether because of their ethnicity, their prior involvement with international organisations, or their creed. Some have faced direct threats, torture, and even targeted attacks such as the bombing of language schools they helped lead. In leaving their homes, they have also left behind their communities, livelihoods, and everything familiar, often crossing multiple borders and enduring years of uncertainty in precarious circumstances. Plateau Perspectives has in several instances accompanied and supported such displaced families, helping them navigate daily challenges while also assisting them in connecting with trusted sponsoring groups abroad. Through such partnership, families have been able to pursue formal resettlement processes and eventually have found safety and stability in countries such as Canada.
Myths vs Facts: Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Myth: “The UK is overwhelmed with asylum seekers.”
Fact: Refugees and asylum seekers together make up well under 1% of the UK population, and the UK receives fewer asylum applications per capita than many European countries.
Myth: “Most refugees go to rich countries like the UK and Canada.”
Fact: Around 75% of the world’s refugees live in low- and middle-income countries close to conflict zones.
Myth: “Asylum seekers come illegally.”
Fact: Seeking asylum is a lawful right under international law, regardless of how someone enters a country.
Myth: “Refugees are an economic burden.”
Fact: Long-term evidence shows refugees contribute significantly through work, business creation, and community involvement; Canada’s resettlement outcomes are especially strong.
Myth: “Most asylum seekers are not real refugees.”
Fact: Many Afghans and others fleeing across the region face well-documented persecution, threats, and targeted violence, leading to consistently high recognition rates in Western countries.