PRO ASYL Presseerklärung | Press Release
1. Januar 1999
„Set of the Course for a Humane Refugee Policy!“
PRO ASYL demands a Initiative for the Abolition of the Act on Benefits for Asylum seekers and Withdrawal of the „Bluem-Regulation“
- PRO ASYL fordert Gesetzesinitiative zur Abschaffung des Asylbewerberleistungsgesetzes und Rücknahme des „Blüm-Erlasses“
„Weichen stellen für eine humane Flüchtlingspolitik!“ - PRO ASYL demands a Initiative for the Abolition of the Act on Benefits for Asylum seekers and Withdrawal of the „Bluem-Regulation“
„Set of the Course for a Humane Refugee Policy!“
INFO
(partially translated)
This is a machine translation by the IBM-supported PERSONAL TRANSLATOR plus. It is slightly edited by combining its results with the translation of SYSTRAN. But you should not rely on it. If you want to use a translated text append or reference the original text.
„PRO ASYL calls upon politics and society, 1999 – in the last year of the Century of Refugees – to set the course for a humane refugee policy at the threshold of the new Millennium“, declared PRO ASYL-spokesperson Heiko Kauffmann at the turn of the year: „An asylum policy, backed by a spirit of defence, exclusion and criminalisation of people seeking protection, endangers the relationship and the future between rule of law, democracy and human rights.“
At the 50th anniversary of the existence of the Basic Rights in the Constitution it would be necessary therefore besides the return to the standards of international refugee law also a far-reaching change on constitutional and humane treatment of refugees in Germany.
Therefore PRO ASYL invites the Federal Government and the Federal Minister of Labour Walter Riester, to introduce in 1999 a bill to the abolition of the Act on Benefits for Asylum seekers, violating the constitutional right on human dignity and equality.
„The principle of separation and desolidaris ation of the society – characterising the social politics of the Kohl-era – has led to a discrimination especially of refugees as second class people. The state is considerably co-responsable by unequal and discriminatory treatment of refugees and foreigners for a developing xenophobe and racist mood“, said Kauffmann.
A first step – according to the appeal of PRO ASYL to the Federal Ministers of Labour Riester – would be the clear adaptation of the benefits for asylum seekers to the increased costs of living retroactive as from January 1st, 1999 pursuant to § 3 Act on Benefits for Asylum seekers: „This annual adaptation stipulated by the law has been forgotten ’systematically‘ by the former government, what has intensified additionally poverty and existential need amongst refugees. Therefore lies the requirement of minimal increase of basic benefits pursuant to law at 4%.“
Furthermore PRO ASYL demands the withdrawal of the „Bluem-regulation“ of May 1997, according to this a gainful employment was forbidden in principle to all refugees who have entered the Federal Republic after May 15th, 1997. This measure leads actually to a long-standing prohibition of employment for asylum seekers and strengthens in the population hostile prejudices against foreigners.
PRO ASYL calls upon all citizens, to support at the 50th anniversary of the Basic Rights of the Constitution the realisation of a social and humane democracy and not to admit, that human beings are marginalised furthermore in Germany.
