Guest post: "Britain must not turn its back on child refugees in Europe"

[MumsnetGuestPosts]

I can only imagine my desperation if I had to consider sending my boys away just to keep them safe.

But if I ever had to, I’d want a mother like Karen to be there for them. Karen is an amazing woman who told her story of fostering a refugee boy and brought huge attention to a campaign to get more refugee children settled safely in Britain.

This week, MPs had the chance to vote to let mothers like Karen keep doing what they want to do - opening their homes and their hearts to refugee children who are in Europe all alone without a mum or dad to look after them. I'm ashamed to say that they did not, and that the government decided to close the door to the thousands of children who need our help. The campaign was only asking for 3,000 children to come to Britain. To put that in context – that would be just five children per parliamentary constituency, and nowhere near the 10,000 mostly Jewish children that Britain saved through the Kindertransport before the Second World War.

I took a special interest in this vote because I have been working at Theirworld to help create school places for Syrian refugee children in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, where many fleeing families arrive first. I have been focused on how to make sure that children never embark on a further dangerous journey to find a safe haven. When I saw that the British parliament was considering a vote to offer a welcome to 3,000 lone children who really need us to open our hearts and homes, I wanted to add my support. So last week I wrote to my local MP for the first time ever. I wanted his backing for refugee children, an issue that goes well beyond party politics. I know lots of Mumsnetters contacted their MPs too and have heard from many of you on Twitter. It was devastating to see the government vote down the proposal to give safety to lone refugee children in Europe.

But this does not stop there. The House of Lords last night voted to back the bill thanks to the efforts of Lord Dubs and other campaigners. So it goes back to the House of Commons next Tuesday with a chance for MPs to reconsider their vote and help 3,000 lone children.

One of the ways you can help them think again is to sign this petition. If enough of us do it then perhaps a few more MPs will listen and reconsider their vote. In pushing for this change we won't be on our own – we have the backing of lots of energetic dedicated groups like Citizens UK, Save the Children, HelpRefugees and others. This weekend the former Archbishop of Canterbury gave his blessing, arguing that this is a chance to honour what our parents and grandparents did in the face of an earlier catastrophe.

This is not a question of sparking a new political controversy - that is not my way and not the Mumsnet way, I don't think - it is a matter of simple humanity. While we can't ensure that every child is safe in his or her own country, we can act to prevent children dying on our doorstep here in Europe, and ensure a safe home and education and hope for a better future.

As long as this terrible crisis runs on and horribly on - then we have obligations to the children who are here in our continent. Our MPs now have a second chance to help these vulnerable children and we should help them to take it.

Please join me, and sign here: Britain must not turn its back on child refugees in Europe.

[glenthebattleostrich]

Again people are writing as though the uk is doing nothing. We are the 3rd largest donor of foreign aid. We are taking 20000 of the most vulnerable from camps preventing them falling into the hands of traffickers. We are providing aid to camps in the region.

Why not write to and petition your MEPs and suggest appropriate measures are taken in the countries the 'children' are already in?

An yes, ensuring that they are actually children is important.

[SpringingIntoAction]

As I understand it, many of the unaccompanied child refugees this amendment is referring to actually have family and friends in the UK, so in those cases no foster carers required.

And in that sort of case you don't need a petition or a vote in Parliament as they are legally entitled to come here anyway under Human Rights law. They just need to tell their aid worker to make that application to the UK Government to be reunited. Why are their aid workers not doing this?

The new amendment proposed in the Lords last night is for the government to discuss with local authorities how many child refugees they could accommodate, rather than a fixed 3,000. Surely that addresses many of the fears voiced on this thread?!

No. My council is about to close libraries, public toilets and deny disabled adolescents free transport to get to school. What about health services? Many of these children will have mental health needs, We already have unacceptably long waiting lists for children already here to be seen. Why do you want to bring children into a country that cannot meet their needs or the existing children's needs?

www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jul/29/chilld-and-adolescent-mental-health-service-failing-children

I find it astonishing that anyone would think it acceptable that the UK sits by and does nothing to help these poor children. There are tens of thousands of unaccompanied child refugees in Europe - we should play our part.

We do play our part. Write to the embassies and MEPs of those European countries that you feel are neglecting their duty to these children instead of trying to hector us into doing even more than our fair share.

People need to remember it is luck of the draw as to where you happen to be born.

That's life. You can even be born in the same place and have different opportuniities in life. No good bleating on about that.

A different roll of the die and it could be your children in that situation. If it were mine I would hope somebody would help them

I doubt that many would. There are many prosperous Middle East countries who have not taken a single refugee - despite those refugee being their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters. I wouldn't rate our childrens' chances in that scenario.

[Limer]

The UK is already doing more than enough. If individuals disagree, let them dip their hands in their own pockets or volunteer to help.

Bicnod Sarah Brown's piece doesn't mention children with family in the UK. It talks tear-jerkingly of children who are in Europe all alone without a mum or dad to look after them.

And it's completely wrong for Sarah Brown to draw any parallels with the Kindertransport. Most of the children on the Kindertransport were travelling across Europe to join relatives/friends who were already here. Alf Dubs certainly did – he came from Czechoslovakia to join his father in London.

[SpringingIntoAction]

Most of the children on the Kindertransport were travelling across Europe to join relatives/friends who were already here.

And most of the children on Kindertransport were about to be rounded and and killed by the country they were living in.

There is no parallel between unaccompanied migrants in safe European countries and Kindertransport and I'm actually quite disappointed that Sarah Brown has conflated these issues.

[Bicnod]

Springing - the processes are, as I understand it, extremely complicated - I would imagine an adult would struggle with them never mind a child. There's a good article here which talks about how difficult the process is. Even if children DO have legal entitlement it is still a slog to get into the UK. And that's just the children in the Calais camps - there are more children across Europe and in Greece trying to get to family members in the UK.

With regards to councils closing libraries etc - presumably this would be taken into account when the government communicated with local councils about how many (if any) refugee children they could take under the new amendment?

Jordan have taken in 640,000 Syrian refugees and Lebanon over 1 million. They can ill afford to do this but have done it anyway.

'That's life' - seriously?

[ItsJustAnotherUsername]

EU countries, including UK are pouring money into the camps in Lebanon and Jordan Bicnod which I fully support. It is widely believed that housing refugees close to their home country is best practice so they can return when it is safe to do so.

[HildurOdegard]

Bicnod - so why aren't these aid workers tracking down relatives already here, handing over the mobile and saying "here's your mum, talk to her and tell her this is what she needs to do"?

[IPityThePontipines]

This thread is absolutely disgusting. I despair of what Mumsnet has become when you get this vile racist frothing on any thread that mentions refugees.

3 Purple Crocs post is very interesting.

[Limer]

Bicnod the children in Calais are not refugees, they're economic migrants. If they were refugees, they could claim asylum and would immediately be entitled to shelter, food, medical care, education, etc. Even Sarah Brown isn't recommending taking any economic migrants.

[Bicnod]

I'm not suggesting that all the unaccompanied children would have family/friends in the UK by the way, just that some of them do. Many would need to be fostered but, again, surely the fact that the government would discuss capacity with local authorities would address this concern. If your local authority couldn't afford to take in many/any refugee children presumably this would be taken into account.

Hildur - I suspect it isn't quite that simple. Quote from [[http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/13/calais-youths-the-unaccompanied-minors-left-in-political-limbo Guardian article]]:

Lord Dubs: “The PM is pretty adamant that he won’t take people from Europe. But the safety, security and well-being of these children is more important than the theoretical argument that it will have a magnet effect on others.

“Three thousand is a small number. It is not asking much to give them a place of safety.”

Priority should be given to the 150 or so lone children in Calais with relatives in the UK, he said.

On a visit to the Calais camp last month, the Guardian caught a glimpse of the chaos, uncertainty and squalor experienced by vulnerable children there – and the dearth of official assistance or urgency over their situation.

[SpringingIntoAction]

Springing - the processes are, as I understand it, extremely complicated - I would imagine an adult would struggle with them never mind a child. There's a good article here which talks about how difficult the process is. Even if children DO have legal entitlement it is still a slog to get into the UK. And that's just the children in the Calais camps - there are more children across Europe and in Greece trying to get to family members in the UK.

Well you should be volunteered to assist these aid workers and human rights workers in their gargantuan task of enabling these children to enforce their own rights instead of spending time on boards like this bleating about how difficult it all is.
Rome wasn't built in a day. A long journey starts with one step. Life is a slog.
If I felt as strongly about a subject as you clearly do id be offering practical help instead of trying to persuade a lot of disinterested / disagreeing people that you are right.

With regards to councils closing libraries etc - presumably this would be taken into account when the government communicated with local councils about how many (if any) refugee children they could take under the new amendment?

No. So you want every local authority to sit down and do an audit of services to determine how much they can overload an already creaking system by - on a salary paid for by my council tax, which I paid to try to keep open libraries (places of learning for my children) public toilets (so my incontinent 80 year old neighbour can confidently go shopping) and transport for disabled children over 16 - so they can get to school?
Any idea of te cost of drawing up an amendnement? the cost of Parliamentary time, - the cost of legal draughtsman, the cost of implementation?

Jordan have taken in 640,000 Syrian refugees and Lebanon over 1 million. They can ill afford to do this but have done it anyway.

Good. But they are not proviing al the ebfits of a westernised society - it's cheaper in those regions. Meanwhile Qatar, Saudi, the Gulf States, the rich countries have taken the sum total of 0.

Why don't you spend your time chiding those rich Middle Eastern countries who do have the resources but appear to be a bit light on morality?

'That's life' - seriously?

Yes. Seriously.

[Bicnod]

IPityThePontipines - YY to PurpleCrocs: From memory I think there are around 330 local authorities in England. That would mean less than 10 children per LA. Is it really better for these children to stay in the danger they're currently in?

[sportinguista]

IPity, I don't think people are racist for wanting things to be carefully coordinated and well planned on a practical level? Making sure that nobody loses out and all vunerable children are given the support that they need - I don't think that is racist.

If you'd like to look at some frothing racism may I point you in the direction of the EDL site as that will give you an idea of how far away this is from true racism. I've seen some things on unmodded forums that would clearly make your hair stand on end!

[SpringingIntoAction]

This thread is absolutely disgusting. I despair of what Mumsnet has become when you get this vile racist frothing on any thread that mentions refugees.

Sorry - screaming racist doesn't close down debate. For a start it's not about race, it's about obligation and capacity.

Even the Archbishop of Canterbury says we can talk about immigration without being accused of being racists - except by some here on MN.

[SpringingIntoAction]

Is it really better for these children to stay in the danger they're currently in?

They're not in danger.

They are in Europe.

Europe is safe.

Your concern is misplaced.

[Bicnod]

Springing - I'll carry on 'bleating' even if it irritates you I'm afraid - if it gets one more person to notice this thread and sign the petition then that's a job well done IMHO.

Also, I don't think all MNers are disinterested/disagree. I suspect many of the MNers who DO support the Dubs amendment would think twice about posting their support on this thread for fear of being jumped on.

[Bicnod]

Same Guardian article I linked to previously:

A third of the 420 unaccompanied minors in the Calais camp have gone missing since the French authorities demolished the southern section of the Jungle last month, according to a census by Help Refugees, a grassroots charity. In January, Europol warned 10,000 vulnerable children had vanished after arriving in Europe over the past two years. On Tuesday, Germany said almost 6,000 refugee children had been reported missing last year.

Yep. Europe's completely safe for these children

[ItsJustAnotherUsername]

Well we are in Europe so are you saying it's not safe here?

[BillSykesDog]

Nobody mention the sterling work her old man did destabilising the entire fucking region that her old man and his mates did while they were in government okay...

[emilybohemia]

Bicnod, Ipity, PurpleCrocs, we're probably wasting our breath trying to convince many on this thread. But there might be things we can do as well as supporting the petition. It's nice to see your posts.

[BillSykesDog]

Bicnod, missing just means the authorities don't know where they've gone. In these instances for a lot of them it's going to mean they've managed to sneak on to a lorry, chosen to go elsewhere or they simply don't want the authorities to monitor them and have disengaged with them. 'Missing' is emotive language designed to give a false impression of what is actually happening in these cases.

[Limer]

A third of the 420 unaccompanied minors in the Calais camp have gone missing Call me a cynic if you like, but I'd bet my mortgage that most of them are now in the UK after having made it across the Channel in the back of a lorry.

[ItsJustAnotherUsername]

340 refugee children went missing in the UK last year, so it would appear we are not a safe country either.

[AnnaForbes]

Sarah, our public services and schools are creaking under the strain. Most of us do not have a husband with a net worth of $15 million and therefore have no choice but to wait months for hospital appointments and/or fight for a school place. We cannot and should not accommodate more people.

I suggest you and Gordon to cough up the £1000's a year it is estimated each of these 'children' will cost us.

[bebemoojem]

Well, what I have to say to all of this/ that / the other as I just got done looking at my empty fridge and wondering how to extend what half portions of meals I have in the freezer to for another week...
someone send me a link about Fostering and Fostering the refugee kids
They are my problem already.
They are my kids already.
Because they are humans and I am human. When I decided to become a parent I knew there would be days like these...
Don't point a finger at others and say 'why aren't you/they doing something..' we're bloody parents... we know if we don't do it than no one else will... be them chores around the house or taking care of the kids...So come on, let's get down to it, because the longer we wait the bigger the mess is going to be!