- Grim irony of decision days before Christmas, when so many mark the birth of a Middle-Eastern child who became a refugee and found sanctuary abroad
Christian Aid has responded to the news that the UK government is set to scrap the Lord Dubs amendment. Máiréad Collins, Christian Aid’s Senior Advocacy Advisor on Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, said:
“The 2016 Lord Dubs amendment came in response to the European refugee crisis which saw many children literally washed up on the beaches of Europe. It provided some hope that the protection of child refugees might be sustained by ensuring that children who were refugees in Europe could join relatives in the UK. The scrapping of this aspect of the bill is, in the words of Lord Dubs, ‘deeply depressing and deeply disappointing’.
“Christian Aid calls on the UK government to rethink this decision and to make good on this promise. After all, the Dubs amendment only led to the resettlement of 10% of the promised number of Syrian refugee children before it was dropped.
“Britain has a moral responsibility to refugee children stranded in Europe, who could find safety and a home with relatives here in Britain.
“There is a grim irony in this decision being made a few days before Christmas, when 2 billion people around the world mark the birth of a Middle-Eastern child who became a refugee, and found sanctuary abroad.
“Christian Aid’s partners in Lebanon have been responding to the Syria refugee crisis since 2012, and we are painfully aware of the depths of desperation which has driven Syrian families from their homes to nearby countries and further afield to Europe.”
