Since the time of their arrival beginning around 2005, there remain approximately 46,000 African asylum seekers in Israel. The following paper reviews the foundations and implications of Israel’s political discourse in reference to the presence of this community. I situate the treatment of the asylum seekers in their relationship to the Jewish State, Zionist ideology, international refugee law, and Israel’s human rights community. I argue: 1) that the discourse surrounding the asylum seekers reflects larger changes within the ethos of the Jewish State and models of Israeli personhood; 2) that notions of “security” and “threat” in relation to the asylum seekers take on new meanings shaped by Israel’s ongoing demographic concerns; and 3) that the political response to the African asylum seekers sheds light on irreconcilable goals of the Zionist nation-building project seeking to both maintain a Jewish majority and liberate world Jewry from life segregated and isolated in the Diaspora. / Anthropology

Yes / The experiences of LGBT asylum seekers in the UK are the focus of this chapter. The relative invisibility of LGBT asylum seekers in social work literature and research is acknowledged. Data from interviews undertaken as part of a small scale research study is used to highlight issues of psychological stress, safety, social isolation and resilience and survival. This material is discussed in relation to models of minority stress, discrimination, social determinants of health, and human rights. A holistic approach to practice in response to an opening vignette, is presented with reference to the importance of advocacy and cross-sector partnership working. / This is a post-peer-review, pre-copy edited version of a chapter published in: Fish J and Karban K (Eds.) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Health Inequalities. Details of the definitive published version and how to purchase it are available online at https://policypress.co.uk/lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-trans-health-inequalities.

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Yes / Asylum seekers in the UK often have complex health needs but face barriers when accessing health services. A family health programme was established in an initial accommodation centre (IAC) in northern England, by trained volunteers who are refugees and therefore peers. The main focus of the programme is peers educating asylum seekers about health services in the United Kingdom (UK), including maternity services, and evaluation research was undertaken to explore the effectiveness of this. Two sessions were observed and participants provided a short verbal evaluation. Data were thematically analysed. Around 30 people from 17 countries attended the sessions which were evaluated positively. Three themes emerged related to asylum seekers' perceptions of their learning: access to health care, living as a family, and the UK as a caring country. The findings suggest that peers educating asylum seekers within an IAC appears helpful in overcoming barriers to accessing health care in the UK and could facilitate pregnant women to attend for maternity care.

No / Pregnant asylum-seeking and refugee women are a particularly vulnerable group in society, who may be possibly living alone in poverty in inappropriate accommodation (Dunne, 2007) and experiencing hostile attitudes (Hynes and sale, 2010). They may have poor physical and mental health, placing them at an increased risk of poor pregnancy outcomes (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), 2010). Despite this, they are less likely to attend for timely maternity care. This article discusses the evaluation to date of an ongoing befriending project located in Northern england, targeting pregnant asylum-seeking and refugee women and helping to address difficulties that they may face. Volunteer befrienders, who themselves are asylum-seeking and refugee mothers, receive training to provide support and guidance to clients. Preliminary data suggest that befriending has advantages for both client and volunteer: clients appear to develop a trusting relationship with their befriender which facilitates self-confidence and helps overcome social isolation; and the volunteers feel that they are undertaking a worthwhile role and often move onto paid employment. Befriending may be a useful resource for midwives and ultimately improve pregnancy outcomes for asylum-seeking and refugee women.

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Yes / Pregnant women seeking asylum in the UK may be particularly vulnerable with poor underlying health, more complex pregnancies and an increased risk of maternal and perinatal mortality. Studies have shown that some women seeking asylum have poor experiences of maternity care. This is despite the implementation of NICE guidelines to improve care for women with complex social factors. This article reports on a phenomenological study undertaken in West Yorkshire, aiming to explore the maternity care experiences of local pregnant asylum seeking women, to inform service development. Six women were interviewed over a three-month period. The findings focused more broadly on their experiences of living in the UK whilst being an asylum seeker and pregnant rather than focusing on maternity care, although this was included. Five key themes emerged: ‘pre-booking challenges’, ‘inappropriate accommodation’, ‘being pregnant and dispersed’, ‘being alone and pregnant’ and ‘not being asked or listened to’. These findings could be used as the basis for training midwives to understand how the difficulties women experience can impact on their health and social needs.