Leading aid agencies and charities have criticised the UK government – D. Cameron in particular – for their “clearly inadeaguate” response to the refugee crisis.
A government spokesman responded with remarking upon the “long and proud history of offering sanctuary [to those in genuine need,” which is indeed a strange thing to say, following the government’s view on immigration and refugees, often referring to them as crisis and almost an attempt to ’sneak in isis to the uk’, pro-government papers claimed several times.
‘There are things to praise, but lot more to do’
Coordinated by the British Refugee Council, the letter praised the government for their commitment to re-settle 20,000 refugees; however, they ask David Cameron to show ‘new resolve’ in this ‘crisis’. 4,000, according to conservative estimates, people drowned last year and far more face daily danger.
They added: “Last year’s announcement that the UK will resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees over five years was a welcome first step, but given the numbers of people searching for safety across the globe, this response is clearly inadequate: it is too slow, too low and too narrow…
The UK can and should be doing much more to ensure that refugees are not compelled to take life-threatening journeys or forced into smugglers’ hands.”
Former Judges and lawyers – 350 of them – had set out principles in October last year – the group, which includes within it other subsequent groups (Action aid, Oxfam, Liberty, Amnesty international), supporters these proposals, especially paying attention to providing safe routes for refugees that are travelling to the UK.
“There are no easy answers to a humanitarian crisis of this magnitude.
However, the solution must not be to spend another year impassively watching on while desperate people drown or are forced to endure a march of misery across the continent as they try to find a safe haven or to be reunited with their loved ones.
“This year the prime minister must open his heart and show true statesmanship by welcoming far more refugees to the UK, enabling them to travel here safely and legally to live lives free from violence, tyranny and oppression, said Maurice Wren, the Council’s chief executive,” said the letter.
We have heard terrible stories in the past few years. If it is not our responsibility as people who have contributed to the crisis, it is our duty as people to make sure that nobody drowns on our shores while attempting to escape a terrible situation: A devastating civil war.
Aid is crucial: The Council has given great importance to the cruciality of aid – food, shelter, safe routes and medicine provides the essentials for refugees to survive their route to a safe place.
The letter continued: “The UK can and should be doing much more to ensure that refugees are not compelled to take life-threatening journeys or forced into smugglers’ hands”.
Britain’s fair share, according to Oxfam analysis
An analysis carried out by Oxfam in Oct 2015 warned the government resettling 20,000 refugees by 2020 is not equivalent to Britain’s ‘fair share’: The analysis shows the share to be 21,295 by the end 2016.
“Assuming the numbers are spread evenly across the years, the UK is on track to offer refuge to just 5,571 people over this timescale – equivalent to just a quarter (26%) of its fair share.”
The charity called for “10% of the refugees registered in countries neighbouring Syria to be settled in rich countries.”
Children being abused need immediate re-settlement
The plight of refugee children does not look good according to the IDC report. A lot of children have been caught up in situations of prostitution, organ trafficking, child-labour and various other forms of exploitation, including the drug-trade.
At least 26,000 refugee, who are lone, entered the European soils in 2015, estimated by Children, a UK charity, who have recorded a large list of cases that range from sexual abuse and all kinds of violence, and now call on the government to immediately re-settle 3,000 of them.
It is clear – facile that Britain, as one of the most important nations in the world, needs to do more to protect the sanctity of human life, provide protection lone children need and, as a party to the war in Syria, take its responsibility ever more seriously
