In 2002, the government made it illegal for people claiming asylum to work. In April 2008, the Refugee Council and TUC launched a joint campaign, Let Them Work campaigning for the right to work for asylum seekers, as a fundamental human right. On our own discussions and interviews with refugees and asylum seekers, together with campaigners and activists, work was often identified as the most important policy change that would improve the lives of asylum seekers in the UK.

Continuing our roundtable debate, participants discuss integration. What does it mean, and how can it be achieved? Who is responsible and what more can be done to help those who want to be integrated?

Ms B, a refugee from Bosnia, Mr P, a refugee from Eritrea, Mr A, a refugee from Afghanistan, Mrs S, a refugee from Somalia, Mr A, a refugee from Somalia and Ms N, a worker on mentoring schemes, take up the issue.

As we launch MigrantVoice on refuge at the beginning of Refugee Week 2008, participants in our roundtable debate discuss what asylum, sanctuary or refuge means to them:

Ms B, a refugee from Bosnia, Mrs A, a refugee from Iraq and Mr A, from Afghanistan.

Ms B, a refugee from Bosnia: This Refugee Week we want to have an honest discussion from all our different perspectives about a number of issues relevant to our daily lives. We are trying to work with people promoting cities of sanctuary, to take the debate about asylum, refugees and immigration into more normal, reasonable waters, (because what has been happening so far has been so appalling).

Ms B, a refugee from Bosnia: There was a time when Claude Moraes MEP was on the news all the time - asked to comment whenever anything happened. But we don't have those spokespeople any more, and that leadership is lacking. You hardly ever hear the head of Amnesty International on these issues. There is no-one to speak with confidence and charisma on immigration and asylum issues. Very, very rarely does it happen.

Mr A, a refugee from Afghanistan: It's really not just the tabloids. That's the point. There really isn't much positive about us in the so-called mainstream press either. And this makes refugees and those seeking asylum think: "OK - we'll give up. We can't change people's minds."

We have from our refugee community some very successful people. But there is no story about them. But if someone has done good things, that should be mentioned as well. If someone has done something wrong - OK, they need to report that. But how will they report it. So you will read in a paper - "Arab rapist" - why not "Ahmed" or "Steve rapist" - why "Arab"?

But I'll give you a positive example of what can be done. I was living in Newcastle. Close by there is a little town called Sunderland, a nice place, but the problem is that they have more extreme views about refugees and asylum-seekers than you find in most other places. They don't like them. And there aren't many refugees there at all. The Home Office sent a few asylum seekers up there and police had to move them after a few days. In 2003, an Iranian asylum seeker was stabbed to death.

In the second part of our debate on the media and asylum Mr P, a refugee from Eritrea, Ms N, worker on mentoring schemes for asylum seekers, Ms M, community and outreach worker and Ms A, a Danish volunteer and member of the Media Group, discuss how to gain access to and work positively with the media.

How influential is press coverage of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK? What responsibilities should journalists have towards refugee individuals and communities? And what kind of media can help frame a more constructive debate? At a roundtable discussion held in London on the subject a group of volunteers tackled the problem of media representation. In this first report, offering their thoughts on recent headlines and treatment of the story are: