*This is a campaign from Student Action for Refugees - learn about us from www.star-network.org.uk - and please share this with the hashtag #DigitalDivide*

We are writing to you as a group of customers that have loyally used your network, many of us students and young people, to ask that you help to improve digital access for asylum seekers and refugees. As the coronavirus pandemic has forced people to socially distance and remain indoors, we have seen that access to the internet has become as much of a necessity as having gas and electricity. Between 75% and 90% of jobs in the UK require at least some computer skills. Our computers, tablets and phones help us integrate and connect us to the world, and have become our place of learning, of work and our social space too.

It is easy to take that connectivity for granted, however many are not so lucky. Asylum seekers, who are banned from working and claiming benefits, must make a weekly ‘asylum support’ budget of £39.63 stretch to include food, travel, basic necessities, a phone and monthly data. Many live in unstable accommodation meaning that cheaper WiFi contracts are not an option. Refugees are also financially stretched, and in 2016 UNHCR found that refugees are 50% less likely to own an internet enabled phone compared to the population of the world as a whole. This is despite the fact that internet connectivity was seen to be a high priority for refugees, with some prioritising it over food, education, and healthcare.

The digital divide that has opened up between people seeking asylum on one hand and the rest of society on the other has real life consequences. Without the right hardware or a stable internet connection, people who are seeking asylum are missing out on school and work. One study suggests that disadvantaged pupils lag 18 months behind their classmates as they cannot access the right materials. Research from the Mental Health Foundation found that asylum seekers are five times more likely to have mental health needs than the general population and more than 61% will experience serious mental distress. Recent research has revealed that access to internet reduces the mental health impact of family separation by helping to bridge the gap between distant family members.

Here is what STAR were told when they asked people with lived experience of the asylum system about what being cut off from the internet means to them:
* “Without internet, I would describe my life like living in a jungle, because I am not in touch with the world, family, friends and I am unable to access information like what is happening in the world, to my family and my community.”
* “The lack of internet and Wi-Fi creates social distancing, social isolation and hinders our education.”
* “My mental health is getting worse and I am stressed all the time.”

We are heartened to see EE, Three, Sky Mobile, SMARTY, Tesco Mobile and Virgin Mobile have stepped up to help disadvantaged families with data packages at this time, while the Vodafone Foundation supports refugees in East Africa. We don’t believe that refugees and people seeking asylum should be left behind simply because they sought safety in this country. This is why we are calling on you to provide extra support by:
1. Allocating an annual pot for mobile data to be donated directly to charities and local authorities supporting refugees and asylum seekers.
2. Providing devices - including smartphones, tablets, and dongles or other mobile broadband - directly to charities and local authorities supporting refugees and asylum seekers.

With thanks,

The Undersigned