Racist Riots 2024: How funders can boost security and safety for migration and refugee charities (Blog 4/6)

This blog by MEX Co-director Sarah Cutler calls on funders to prioritise the safety and security of refugee and migration sector organisations. It builds on learning from scoping commissioned by MEX in the wake of the racist riots in August 2024. It is fourth in a series of 6 blog posts.

The racist riots highlighted how exposed organisations in the refugee and migration sector are to a range of safety and security threats. In light of the escalating and evolving risk posed by racist and far right threats, MEX is calling on funders to work together to prioritise the safety and security of refugee and migration sector organisations. Recent events showed many strengths and skills within a sector used to dealing with violence and hostility with very little resource or capacity. However, they also starkly illustrated the paucity of proactive safety and security arrangements, risk-planning and governance experience in managing threat, the lack of sector wide crisis-response infrastructure, and the relative isolation of many organisations.

On the sixth month anniversary of the riots, MEX published practical guidance to help organisations to boost their safety and security. In this blog, we also urge funders to proactively support their grant partners and fulfill their duty of care to those most at risk of harm. This is needed alongside funding for work to address the underlying causes of the riots, build resilience and leadership, and support long term investment in racial and migration justice.

MEX is highlighting three practical things that funders can do to boost safety and security.

Firstly, resource safety and security skills, procedures and equipment for grant partners at operational and governance levels.

Secondly, work with other funders to support a co-designed sector-wide crisis response system.

Thirdly, reduce isolation and build solidarity across social justice sectors.

More detail on how this could be done is below.

1. Safety and security for grant partners at operational and governance levels.

Fund security management — Many organisations have reported needing to install or consider the use of CCTV and other monitoring devices. Funders should cover the costs of equipment, devices and upgrades to increase the safety and security of staff and volunteers. Encouraging organisations to include a safety and security budget line in grant funding applications would also ensure that organisations feel able to invest in these things.

Resource safety and security training and support — Building basic safety and security skills and awareness amongst frontline staff, volunteers and leaders in the refugee and migration sector is a priority. A list of providers of safety and security support are highlighted in the third blog of this series. Those who are developing or commissioning support for organisations, should consider the following points:

• Ensure support is relevant and tailored to the needs of those most at risk: Safety support is particularly important for those who are more visible and therefore carry higher risks to their personal safety. This includes the leaders of organisations and their trustees, racialised communities and visible minorities, and activists and legal aid providers working in the sector. Also, our analysis of the racist riots shows a clear trend of gendered Islamophobia impacting Muslim women and girls and restricting their movement. Commissioning tailored personal safety and resilience support for Muslim and visibly minoritised women working in the refugee and migration sector would help to address this issue.
• Engage providers who understand the context of the sector and can provide trauma-informed and contextually relevant safety and security support and advice: It is essential that providers are aware of the challenges faced by those working on migration and refugee issues and are open to adapting sessions to ensure they are relevant and tailored to the realities. Sessions should be delivered in a sensitive way so as not to exacerbate anxieties within communities already dealing with a hostile environment.
• Understand distrust of authorities and the need for diverse approaches to safety and security: Many racialised and migrant communities have experienced negative interactions with police and state authorities, leading to a lack of trust in the system. Space should be created for exploring alternative, community-led approaches to building safety, and sharing the learning of these initiatives.

Invest in tailored support for Senior Leaders and Boards — Trustees and Senior Leaders have a legal duty to ensure their organisation has the right mechanisms in place to protect the safety of their staff and volunteers. Crises such as the racist riots present complex safeguarding and risk management challenges. It is crucial that these decision-makers are equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge. This could include supporting organisations with funding to join charity bodies such as ACEVO and NCVO and providing funding for governance and risk management training and support. Including this offer to grant partners would help to encourage a culture of safety and signal that funders take security and safety of their partners seriously.

2. Work with other funders to support a co-designed sector-wide crisis response system

People have told us that their organisations found it difficult to accurately assess risk levels in their area to inform their planning and next steps. A centralised alert system providing real-time updates on violent activity and risks to support leaders to make decisions could be a helpful resource. A system that allows organisations to stay informed about safety concerns in their local areas would ensure a quicker and more efficient response to emerging risks.

MEX recommends exploring the development of a network of Community Safety Experts within the sector, who could act as skilled responders with expertise in safety, security, and resilience. This could take inspiration from the network of Resilience citizens being trained as part of the Local Resilience Forums. These experts could be engaged in a specialised training programme before being deployed to provide surge support in times of crisis, and leading on sector wide risk management and preparedness on an ongoing basis.

3. Reduce isolation and build solidarity across social justice sectors

The racist riots impacted a wide array of communities and civil society organisations across the UK. Whilst the refugee and migration sector found ways to connect and organise throughout this time, it would be helpful to work towards strengthening alliances with other impacted sectors and organisations. This includes colleagues in the racial justice sector, immigration advice providers, faith based organisations and those in the violence against women and girls sector (VAWG).

Funders could play an active role in convening spaces for shared discussion, in order to facilitate connections, build stronger cross sector movements and share learning between different sectors facing similar threats and challenges.

Find out more and access support

If you fund organisations working in this sector, and would like to find out more about the findings from the scoping work exploring safety and resilience linked to the racist riots, please join one or both of our online workshops in March. There are limited places available for funders — please contact Li-En Yapp to book a place.

Workshop 1: Safety and security
3 March at 1:30 pm — 3 pm (on Zoom)
This session will focus on safety and security management during and and in the aftermath of the riots. Organisations will have the opportunity to discuss and share their experiences and agree key priorities to better prepare for the future. There will be a panel including providers of safety and security support covering areas such as digital security, risk assessment and critical incident management, personal safety and building security.

Workshop 2: Resilience and wellbeing
31 March at 10:00–11:30 (on Zoom)
This session will focus on resilience and wellbeing. It will share recommendations for organisations to better support and protect staff and volunteers, and hear from providers of resilience and wellbeing support.

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Migration Exchange is hosted at Global Dialogue, a registered charity (1122052) partnering with philanthropy to advance rights, equity and diversity.