Lord Roberts launches campaign to reunite almost 400 lone Calais kids with their families

Speaking at Goldsmiths, University of London on Thursday 15 September, the Rev. Lord (Roger) Roberts of Llandudno launched a citizen-led campaign to reunite 387 young, unaccompanied, asylum seekers with their families in the UK.

 

Addressing 120 representatives of the UK’s leading migration and asylum NGOs, Lord Roberts said: “With 10,000 children having already gone missing in Europe and 88,000 unaccompanied children still in need of our help, this is the crisis of our time.”

“The ‘Dubs amendment’ was a huge victory in the campaign to offer unaccompanied children safe refuge in Britain. It is utterly shameful that the Government has hardly moved since the Immigration Act became law on 8th May

“There are 387 children, alone, in camps Northern France who have a legal right to join their families in the UK. But today, a disgraceful 131 days since the Queen signed the Act, not a single child has been reunited under the ‘Dubs amendment’.”

“On the verge of a cold, muddy and icy winter, these children have been left in deplorably unsafe conditions. They are extremely vulnerable to trafficking, disease and sexual exploitation. If the UK Government won't uphold the law and make a serious and genuine effort to rescue these children, the ordinary people of Britain will act. We can, and we must, bring these these 387 to safety."

Lord Roberts, who understands that all of the children are documented - and that the government is aware of their names - has raised this issue repeatedly in Parliament, including on 14 September, 6 September, 20 July, 12 July, 7 July, 13 June, 10 May, 11 April, 29 February, 8 February, 25 January, 17 December, 7 December. He has also pressed the government through dozens of questions, but to date, there has been no reply and no action.

Calling for urgent action, Lord Roberts said: “Let us encourage our councils, schools, businesses, faith groups and youth organisation to lead this rescue operation. The children of Britain can reach out to the children of this refugee crisis.

“This is the time to organise, and leave bureaucracy at the wayside. It’s time to reunite these families. And it’s time for us, the people, to offer hope to the Calais kids.”

Commenting, Professor Katie Willis (Royal Holloway) said: “It is very apposite to have Lord Roberts present his plan here. Our team have spent many years documenting the plight of young asylum seekers.

"Our Goldsmiths colleague, Professor Sue Clayton, has made the film ‘Hamedullah: The Road Home’ which documents the plight of young refugees. There is huge support in this sector to help Lord Roberts bring these young people, who have a legal right to enter the UK, into the UK and in a positive and welcoming way.”

Lord Roberts was speaking at ‘Uncertain Journeys: Strategies and Initiatives for the support of Unaccompanied and Separated Migrant Children’; an event which presented three years of ESRC- and DFID-funded research by academics at Goldsmiths and Royal Holloway, University of London.

Those interested in assisting and supporting Lord Roberts’ campaign should send their contact details to jrogerroberts@aol.com