The refugee crisis: official MNHQ thread to discuss next steps for a campaign

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

Following on from previous threads (here and here), we've spent a couple of days looking in to this. As you can imagine, lots of the organisations working on this are extremely busy at the moment so it's taken us a little while to pin down some relevant info - sorry for the delay.

On search and rescue in the Med: the UK government now contributes what several organisations say is a pretty sizeable package of resources to the EU's Mediterranean search and rescue effort. One organisation told us that 'the UK has totally stepped up; we now have more resources in the water than any other EU country'. The thinking seems to be that given the size of the Med, and the desperately unsafe boats/dinghies that are being used, there is just no way to guarantee that people will not drown; the consensus seems to be that the best focus would be on providing safer routes to countries of refuge in the EU, and a better welcome for refugees once they're here.

That doesn't mean we can't focus on search and rescue if you still think we should. There are organisations like Medicins sans Frontieres and MOAS, who are using donations to run their own search and rescue missions, and we can give them a big push and help you to encourage more private donations to them. But it's worth noting that most organisations in the field seem to think that if there is an insufficiency in EU search and rescue, it's not because of the UK government.

There is also a current initiative by Save the Children that we could swing behind, and perhaps do some joint campaigning on. It's based on a five-point plan of action for EU governments, calling for the following:

• maintaining search and rescue, and making sure EU operations have adequate resources and the right mandate (ie that they concentrate on saving lives, not on border protection);
• providing safe and legal routes into Europe for refugees, with a particular emphasis on the rights and safety of children;
• providing proper reception and support for refugees in EU countries, including minimum standards for things like shelter, medical treatment, legal advice, and access to health and education facilities;
• an effective, balanced and mandatory relocation and resettlement agreement for refugees, involving all EU countries (eg mandatory quotas for numbers each country must take); and
• tackling the root causes of unsafe migration. This involves things like putting international pressure on the warring parties in Syria to end the conflict; supporting Syria's neighbouring countries (where most refugees from Syria are living, often in camps) by fully funding the Regional Refugee and Resilience plan (currently only 40% funded); and assisting the World Food Programme to re-start its food aid programme in Jordan, which was recently suspended due to lack of money.

Save the Children are also asking the UK government to commit to taking in 3000 unaccompanied child refugees, who sadly are already in Europe without any adult protection.

Let us know your thoughts working with Save the Children on these two things (the 5-point plan, and asking the UK government to commit to taking 3000 unaccompanied child refugees from within the EU). It seems like a comprehensive proposal to us, but of course ultimately it's up to you.

We've also got this page full of links to various actions you can take if you want to do something on an individual basis.

Thanks
MNHQ

With all due respect, I think save the Children carry much, much, much more clout than MN

Of course, dolcelatte. But MN was asked by their users whether this is an issue they would campaign on. It makes sense for MN to lend its weight to an existing campaign if it aligns with the concerns of the MN members.

i do hope before mn hq sign up for this they will find out how this will be funded and who will look after them

Why can't someone start a campaign to wake them up to their responsibilities in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE?
Completely agree.

I'm amazed that Mumsnet patrons are so diversity in favour, when even they cannot find work:
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/9270897/Please-deport-me-theres-no-work-in-Britain-illegal-immigrant-begs-judge.html

And when even the government says that for every four immigrants, one british job is lost!
www.express.co.uk/news/uk/294711/160-000-jobs-lost-to-migration

Do the people who post here not realize that a hate crime is actually happening on their own doorstep?
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/john-wight/tory-attacks-on-the-unemployed-_b_2455655.html

I also back the Save the Children Campain.

Also, many of those fleeing Syria already have families in safe countries. There should be a mechanism so that people can join their families overseas as well.

I also agree with Rollermum that those who take in refugees need adequate support or else I can envisage tensions ans risks arising when they could be prevented.
We do not want good intentions to have bad consequences.

So for long are they taking them in? And when they get bored with the novelty - where do they go then?

Yes, Agree that MN should put its weight behind the Save the Children campaign.

All looks good and thank you for supporting on our behalf
I do think though that if any more can be given to the search and rescue operation in the Med that this should be done to save lives, even if UK is already doing more than it's share. To me, though worth noting, that's not really the point.
Many thanks
It is good to be a part of a community doing something to help, however small

Yes I agree with this.

It troubles me that destitute parents are leaving children in orphanages just outside Syria. Surely there could be some global centre to keep track of where refugees are - and help for families rather than belatedly helping 'orphans' who are not orphans at all.

ThomasRichard, thank you for the link to the Chatham House article. I still think that the reasons for Gulf countries not doing more are in the leage for European (public) opposition to doing more; Gulf states may be fearful of the potential claims of their existing immigrant population, many Europeans are fearful of the social impact of a large-scale influx of people with very different views on gender, the role of religion in public life etc.

In other words, explaining the motivation for non-action does not in itself necessarily justifies it. I can imagine the Gulf countries declaring something similar to Germany, for example, and officially accepting Syrian refugees without extending such treatment to others. As the article points out, there is also plenty of scope to step up financial support for the existing camps in the neighbourhood. (And to actually start working towards an acceptable political resolution to this inferno, instead of fanning the flames in Syria, in Yemen...)

SarahMumsnet, can you fill us in on what's happened on this since September?