Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Refugee children at Calais camp need support
STAR is appalled by the treatment of child victims of war at the temporary camps in Calais today. The Border and Immigration Agency must allow them to come to Britain as refugees.
French police cleared the camps this morning detaining more than 200 people but reports that all those in the camps are illegal immigrants are far from the full story.
STAR Trustee Onyeka Igwe visited the camp in June and met over 30 Afghan boys aged between 13 and 16, she says:
“These young boys told me they had fled Afghanistan after their families were killed and their homes destroyed in the war. They had close family in the UK and were seeking to be reunited with brothers, aunties and cousins who could look after them. Ironically the boys spoke excellent English, having learned from British and American troops patrolling the streets of Afghanistan.”
STAR calls on the British people to show compassion to these vulnerable young people whose childhoods have been shattered by the war and whose families are waiting in Britain. The Border and Immigration Agency must allow them to come to Britain as refugees.
Emma Williams
STAR Chief Executive
Posted by James Fisher on 22/09/2009 at 03:02 PM
in Refugee News
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