Refugee rights are a touchy subject in Britain.
Immigration issues were at the very heart of people's decision to vote out of the E.U. Even our laws keep refugee families apart by forcing them to choose between being together, or being safe.
Children are being granted refuge on their own, unable to sponsor their parents to join them. And in a similar way, kids of 18 are unable to enter the UK with their parents and younger siblings. It’s a hard thing to face, when you’ve been through so much already.
Safety in the UK, but at a brutal price.
Amnesty International are on a mission to change the law and bring refugee families back together.
So how do you get the people of Britain to care?
And care enough to email their local MP asking them to help change the law?
You remind them of an an undeniable truth.
Spending time with your family is one of life’s greatest wonders. Not just the big moments, the everyday little things, we all take for granted.
And when we see it from the outside, we realise just what refugees are missing out on. Every single day.
We created a living installation where 18 volunteer families from the UK each spent an hour, in a living room. Being a family, just like at home.
Except they were doing it in a glass box on the South Bank, one of London’s biggest cultural areas, with thousands of people watching their every move.
We created comms to spread the word, featuring real Amnesty supporters and their families, shot by much-awarded portrait photographer David Stewart.
For those who couldn’t make it down we live-streamed it all on Facebook. 94,000 people watched as the families, read, played, napped and ate pizza. Half that number tuned in just to watch a family game of Monopoly.
Thousands of people visited the box over the two days. They stopped. They stared. They were shown exactly what refugees are denied. And they were inspired to take action. Nearly 14,000 people emailed their local MPs, exceeding all Amnesty’s targets. And better still they listened.
On 16th March, 129 MPs voted in favour of the Refugee Family Reunion Bill.
This is a monumental step that will help reunite refugees and give them back the wonders of everyday family life.
We’re very proud of our small contribution to the cause.