3. Statement by the Minister for Social Justice: Refugee Week 2022: Healing

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:03 pm on 21 June 2022.

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Photo of Jane Hutt Jane Hutt Labour 3:03, 21 June 2022

Diolch yn fawr, Sioned Williams. Swansea is a remarkable city of sanctuary. I remember visiting both universities and Gower College and the work that they've done. I think Julie James was involved as well, probably in her constituency capacity. It's absolutely thriving, and I'm sure that exhibition will be vivid and powerful. In fact, Joel James mentioned the ways in which during Refugee Week we often do celebrate the cultural and artistic contributions from our refugees, and we do that in recognition of their skill, talent and the cultural lessons and learning from that.

Your questions are key to how we can call ourselves a nation of sanctuary, aren't they? In terms of support, particularly for those, as you say, who've come here with perilous journeys and trauma—of course, yesterday, the First Minister and I met many at the Urdd welcome centre, and the Counsel General and I visited another welcome centre—and also leaving behind, for the Ukrainians, their husbands and partners who are fighting in the war, the journeys that they've taken, the new life in our country has to be powerful in terms of the support that we give. Actually, a strong word that was coming from many of the refugees yesterday was that they felt that the experience that they had at the Urdd was 'healing'. They didn't know that this was necessarily the word that has been the theme. They felt it was healing—the environment, the care and the compassion.