The experiences of refugees settling in Bradford will be highlighted during a series of events including a question-and-answer session allowing the public to quiz a panel on issues relating to asylum seekers, refugees and immigration.

Refugee Week will be marked in Bradford with a range of events organised by partner organisations working with refugees and asylum seekers in Bradford.

The week starts on Monday, June 17, with asylum seekers and refugees sharing their experiences at an event at Kala Sangam's base in St Peter's House, Forster Square, from 10am to 2pm.

The event, attended by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Khadim Hussain, will see representatives of voluntary agencies joining local politicians to speak about work in Bradford supporting sanctuary seekers coming to the city.

The key speaker will be Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council’s portfolio holder for Children and Young People, and pupils from Titus Salt School will perform a play called Refugee Voices inspired by stories of refugees in the city.

The launch event will also include a screening of short documentaries made and produced by University of Bradford students, exploring the realities and complexities of life as an asylum seeker, from firsthand experiences.

Running throughout the week will be an exhibition, by Refugee Week Planning Committee chairman Helen Kemp, of photographs charting Refugee Weeks over the past six years in Bradford, and other celebrations that have taken place in refugee communities during that time.

“These photographs show refugees in happy times, in moments and moods of celebration,” said Helen, adding that the exhibition pays tribute to the “tremendous courage, strength and fortitude” of people who have fled terrifying situations.

There will be chance to find out more about the process asylum seekers face when trying to gain refugee status, and other issues facing people settling here, at an event called Time for Questions. Taking place on Wednesday, June 19, it will involve a panel of people with different approaches to immigration answering questions from the public.

The panel will include Beatrice Botomani, secretary of Bradford Refugee Forum Board and development co-ordinator of Bradford and District Women’s Forum; Respect MP for Bradford West George Galloway; Jason Smith, UKIP Bradford and District Chairman; Jim Steinke, chief executive of the Northern Refugee Centre; and Mark Taylor, executive director of The Taylor Partnership, specialising in asylum and immigration law.

Also on Wednesday, June 19, a Walk for Justice will set off from Centenary Square at 10am, heading to the Border Agency's Waterside Court in Leeds. The ten-mile trek will highlight the situation faced by asylum seekers who are given no financial assistance for transport but are required to regularly make the journey from Bradford to the Home Office Reporting Centre in Leeds.

Agencies working with asylum seekers and refugees have come together to form Destitution Concern Bradford, which recently commissioned a report highlighting the plight of asylum seekers whose cases are refused.

The partnership’s slogan ‘Still Human, Still Here’ is a reminder that there are people with no access to public funds, at risk of becoming destitute.

“‘Why don’t they go home?’ is the question often asked when this point is made. The answer to this question is that they have fled in fear of their lives, of persecution, war, rape, murder,” said a statement from the Refugee Week Planning Committee. “They will not choose to return to that same situation, nor should they be expected to.

“We must also question the quality of the decisions, the quality of the decision-makers, who may arbitrarily accept one case and refuse the next with no logical reason for one or the other. Getting new evidence for a fresh appeal is often extremely difficult if not impossible, so that although someone has a very good case, they may not be able to prove it. They will go on trying, however, and we will go on supporting them for as long as we can.”

To celebrate Refugee Week, BIASAN – Bradford Immigration and Asylum Seekers Support and Advice Network – is holding a party on Thursday, June 20, at Bradford Resource Centre in Little Germany.

On Friday, June 21, from noon to 3pm, Centenary Square will be filled with live performances from refugee musicians and a variety of speakers, including Bradford East MP David Ward. The event is hosted this year by the World Curry Festival, and there will be international food on offer.

The week will be rounded off, on Saturday, June 22, with adult and junior football tournaments, a popular feature of past Refugee Weeks in Bradford, organised by Daniel Smith at Manningham Mills Sports Association.

For details, visit refugeeweekbradford.org.uk.