Accept children refugees to end their 'brutal and relentless' situation
Responding to today's International Development Committee report urging the Government to take in 3,000 more child refugees from Syria, David Bull, the executive director ofUnicefUK, said:
“The children of Syria are facing a brutal and relentless crisis. Their protection and best interests must always come first, whether they are in Syria, or are refugees in the region or in Europe”
“Given the scale and immediacy of the humanitarian need, Unicef UK welcomes the IDC’s support for additional resettlement places to be made available in the UK for unaccompanied children in Europe. Of all of the refugees and migrants who have arrived in Europe, children are at greatest risk; living and travelling alone without family support, they are in danger of abuse and exploitation.
“There are unaccompanied refugee children in Europe who have relatives in the UK, and we support efforts to efforts to apply flexibly and widen the UK’s rules and practices on family reunion, so that more children are able to use this safe legal route to reunite with family members.
“We recognise the UK Government’s continued support for those affected by the crisis, and we welcome the IDC’s call on other donors to increase humanitarian funding. As the IDC points out, it’s right to focus on assisting the most vulnerable and we must ensure that aid reaches the majority of Syrian refugees who are living outside of the camps in host communities.”
