About ESAS

ESAS offers East and Southeast Asian (ESA) identifying persons in Scotland practical services and support such as Online Support group, Culturally sensitive befriending (with emphasis on racism trauma and intersectional identity issues), workshops, online community events, and signposting. ESAS also works closely with vulnerable and under-represented migrant ESA communities, offering practical support and services such as ‘Life in Scotland’ English lessons, various schemes, IT help, and translated practical information.

  • ESAS was founded in June 2020 

  • ESAS was the first-ever organisation in Scotland, dedicated to lobbying racial equality and anti-racism for East and Southeast Asian (ESA) people. 

  • ESAS believes that East and Southeast Asian communities in Scotland deserve an equal opportunity to be active participants of Scottish democratic civil society. 

  • ESAS is the first-ever organisation to acknowledge and are actively campaigning and for culturally sensitive services for the East and Southeast Asian migrant communities in Scotland. 

  • ESAS is strong advocator of equal civil rights for all human beings in Scotland, we believe that people should be allowed to live freely regardless of race, colour, gender(s), sexuality(s), class, or creed as long as no harm is being brought to others. 

  • Much of our work includes East and Southeast Asian migrant communities such as Asylum seekers and Refugees’

Our Story

We started out as a group of East and Southeast Asian (ESA) volunteers based in Edinburgh, who came together through the mutual desire to represent the ESA community - and a shared goal to end discrimination and the increased racism we are currently facing.  We strongly advocate for equality, social inclusion and democratic participation for all ESA people in Scottish society.   

Through our lived experiences and adversities we face as ESA people, we have a deep understanding of the prevalent issues regarding our UK based community today.  We work closely with other ESA support groups, organisations, charities, and activists who are campaigning for change and increased visibility in the UK.  Our aims are to bring community cohesion, better opportunities and visible representation in the pursuit towards racial equality in Scotland. 

ESAS works closely with ESA under-represented and marginalised migrant communities (Especially asylum seekers and refugees). We believe that everyone deserves a fair chance at life and we strive to empower and advocate for communities that are being left behind from wider Scottish society. 

 

Some issues East and Southeast Asian people face in the UK: 

  • Since 2017, Scotland has become one of the hotspots for the trafficking of Vietnamese and Chinese people in the EU for the purpose of modern slavery, and yet there are no organisations tackling this issue from a culturally sensitive perspective. 

  • More Filipino healthcare workers have died serving the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic than in the Philippines as a whole and yet they also face the torrent of racial abuse from the British public due to the increase of Sinophobia in the UK. 

  • Since the start of COVID-19, we have come to understand that a broad spectrum of ESA people have become vulnerable to discrimination and are targets of Sinophobic attacks, as offenders have been racially profiling people who look like they are of Chinese descent.