The Somali community in the UK: What we know and how we ... - ICAR

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north west of England put the number of Somalis here at 2-3000 (Smyth and Mohamed, 1997: 29), but the council’s head count two years before came up with 5,000. A primary care lecturer at Manchester University puts the number at between 5-6,000 82 - but the 2001 census claims there are only 1,367. Estimates for Birmingham stand at 3,000 83 and 4,000, (Dick, 2002: 8), with 819 in the census. For Sheffield, figures range from 1,306 in the census to 2,000, (McCarthy, 1995: 15) to up to 10,000 (Cole and Robinson, 2003: 12). Table I: Estimates of Somali population in provincial cities Year to which estimate refers 1989 2000 2001 2003 1997 2001 2003 2001 2002 1995 City Liverpool 1,200 Estimated numbers of Somalis living in British cities 3 – 5,000 678 3 – 5,000 Manchester 2 – 3,000 1,367 5 – 6,000 Birmingham 819 4,000 Sheffield 2,000 + Source Granby Toxteth Community Project (1993), Survey of the Somali community in Liverpool: 5 Stokes, Peter (2000), The Somali community in Liverpool, Foundation for Civil Society 2001 census Cole, Ian and Robinson, David (2003), Somali housing experiences in England, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, Sheffield Hallam University: 14 Smyth, Kate and Mohamed, Atiha (1997), Refugees in the north west of England, Refugee Action: 29 2001 census Estimate by Dr. Hermione Lovell, Manchester University 2001 census Dick, Malcolm (2002), Celebrating sanctuary: Birmingham and the refugee experience 1750-2002, Refugee Week 2002 Steering Committee, Refugee Action: 8 McCarthy, Margaret (1995), Elders in exile, Northern Refugee Centre: 15 2001 1,306 2001 census 2003 1,400 – 10,000 Cole, Ian and Robinson, David (2003), Somali housing experiences in England, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, Sheffield Hallam University: 12 2001 Leicester 872 2001 census 2001 Milton Keynes 616 2001 census 2001 Bristol 604 2001 census 2001 Northamptonshire 517 2001 census 2001 Slough 267 2001 census 2001 Luton 160 2001 census 2001 Coventry 137 2001 census As table I shows, there are towns with a much smaller presence than the large Somali populations of 38 The Somali community in the UK
London, Liverpool, and Manchester. Refugee Action’s report on the north west of England records a “small number” of Somalis in Warrington (Smyth and Mohamed, 1997: 17) and in the Lancashire districts of Chorley and South Ribble (ibid: 20). The 2001 census lists several areas with fewer than 100 Somalis. Apart from Leeds and Southampton, these include Oxford, Reading, Middlesbrough, Bedford, Watford, Southend, and Swindon. The particular needs of Somalis in areas where there are only small numbers are as significant as those in cities with higher settlement. But lack of numerical data hinders sound service delivery in all regions. In his study of The Somali community in Liverpool (2000) Stokes points out that there is no ethnic monitoring in any field - health, education, employment, crime. This makes it impossible to plan and produce local services on an accurate assessment of need - whether estimates are made by a local authority or Somalis themselves. However, even if accurate figures are not yet available, the main areas of concern for Somalis have been well documented. The purpose of this present addition to the literature is not only to draw together how we know what we know about Somalis in the UK, but also to highlight anxieties expressed by Somalis themselves. These may differ according to geographical area, gender or particular group - education for some, health for others. But it is striking how far the reports from different parts of the UK replicate each other and dwell on identical problems. Employment, education, physical and mental health, the particular tensions around youth and gender, together with the internal divisions in the community, are all raised as critical issues by Somalis throughout the UK. Employment In the early twentieth century Somalis arrived in Britain to work. But, as we have seen, seamen lost their jobs after the war. Those that did not find work in the industrial and manufacturing sectors became unemployed, and now many of those arriving later as refugees have joined their ranks. No accurate figures are available, but 1987 estimates put the Tower Hamlets Somali unemployment rate at 87% (El-Solh, 1991: 550, note 13), with 95% in Liverpool out of work (Xifaras, 1996: 26). Estimates since then show a slight improvement, but nothing which would indicate a gradual integration of Somalis into the British labour force. A 1993 Liverpool study gave an unemployment figure of 72.6% (Granby Toxteth Community Project, 1993: 36). Two years later, Ditmars (1995: 8) reckoned that 80% of Somalis in London were out of work. Contemporary estimates no longer include the older settlers who have retired, but reflect the employment of refugees. One estimate for the unemployment rate among Somali men in 1999 was 87% (Frieda and Walters, 1999: 26). Studies also find that a high proportion of Somalis have never worked since coming to the UK. This does not appear to depend solely on the fact that Somalis are members of a black minority. On indicators such as levels of pay, or the permanence of the post, Somali refugees fare worse than other ethnic populations as a whole (Bloch, 2003). Is it then just a matter of education? The educational profile of early settlers, who often came from a nomadic background, has contributed to the impression that Somalis are less educated than other refugee communities. Figures on qualifications are also slanted by the lower educational level of women, and of many young people who have missed out on schooling in Somalia and have been unable to catch up in the UK. But it is often the case that refugees and asylum seekers come from the better-educated sections of their society, the social strata which could raise the money to escape. Somalis are no exception - the community in fact contains a large number of highly qualified men and women. Somalis constantly express frustration that this is not recognised, and point to the underutilisation of their professional skills - doctors driving minicabs, teachers unemployed. This is confirmed by a recent study by Bloch and Atfield (2002) who surveyed 82. Dr. Hermione Lovel, personal communication to Kirsteen Tait, ICAR, King’s College London. 83. O. Hassan, Birmingham Support Group: interview 8.4.03 The Somali community in the UK 39
Page 1 and 2: The Somali community in the UK What
Page 3 and 4: Table of contents Foreword 4 Introd
Page 5 and 6: participate in their children’s s
Page 7 and 8: esponse to this charge is that the
Page 9 and 10: topics selected are those which Som
Page 11 and 12: Table A: Classification of sources
Page 13 and 14: since the late 1980s have come main
Page 15 and 16: Somali diaspora (2000) includes enc
Page 17 and 18: of accurate numerical data. This is
Page 19 and 20: A she-camel is a mother To him who
Page 21 and 22: - religious leaders, clan elders, i
Page 23 and 24: These men tended to form a separate
Page 25 and 26: Entry into the UK 8000 Figure A: As
Page 27 and 28: Figure B: Number of initial decisio
Page 29 and 30: Non-compliance Asylum applications
Page 31 and 32: (usually Addis Ababa or Nairobi). H
Page 33 and 34: Table F: Estimates of Somali popula
Page 35 and 36: Table H: Estimates of Somali popula
Page 37: The unreliability of statistics is
Page 41 and 42: industries. But here, too, even giv
Page 43 and 44: own community, potential workers si
Page 45 and 46: Youngster’s [sic] are behind in e
Page 47 and 48: Attitudes to girls’ education by
Page 49 and 50: It is the family that she identifie
Page 51 and 52: British peers. Writing of the “cu
Page 53 and 54: Health Despite the importance of th
Page 55 and 56: colleagues, in a study of Somali me
Page 57 and 58: I have been here since 1983 and the
Page 59 and 60: social parameters” is detrimental
Page 61 and 62: such as those listed in the documen
Page 63 and 64: autonomous control, divorce is not
Page 65 and 66: together [of] their birth and their
Page 67 and 68: purposes. The same might be said of
Page 69 and 70: Although operating in a very differ
Page 71 and 72: Conclusion Despite the seeming diff
Page 73 and 74: Buxton, C. (n.d.), Somali children
Page 75 and 76: women, Diverse Heritage Trust Ltd #
Page 77 and 78: Smyth, K. and Mohamed, A. (1997), R
Page 79: The Somali community in the UK 79

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