Title: The UK Government’s Illegal Immigration Bill: Why Denying Child Protection is One of the Cruelest Part
Introduction:
The UK government’s crackdown on immigration has been a hotly debated topic in recent years. In 2021, the UK announced its Nationality and Borders Bill, which proposed making several changes to UK immigration law. One of the most controversial aspects of the bill was the provision that would deny refugee protection to children arriving in the country via irregular routes. This move has been heavily criticized for being cruel and inhumane. In this article, we will explore why denying child protection is one of the cruelest parts of the bill and what can be done to protect these vulnerable children.
Refugee Children: Living in Fear and Uncertainty
Children fleeing persecution in their home country often do so out of desperation. They leave behind everything they have ever known in the hope of finding a place where they can feel safe. However, the UK government’s illegal immigration bill would prohibit children from getting protection here, just because of how they got there. This move has been criticized for punishing children for asking for security. Most refugee children cannot access safe routes and arrive here via irregular routes, such as crossing the Channel in boats or in the back of trucks. These are acts of desperation born of the chaos and misery of war and persecution.
Cruel and Punitive Bill: Why Denying Child Protection is One of the Cruelest Part
The new law is brutal and morally bankrupt and risks breaking international standards that require refugee children to have special protection. The government recognized this in the Nationality and Borders Law, which was passed last year with exclusions for refugee children. This allows asylum applications to be fairly considered regardless of the route here. However, the government’s claim that the blanket sanctuary ban will deter even children is not supported by evidence. Human instinct drives people to find family and safety, and even children will keep seeking refuge despite the difficulty of the journey. Denying child protection is thus one of the cruelest and most punitive parts of this terrible bill.
The UK: No Longer a Place of Refuge
Refugee children I’ve met in the UK, in camps in Greece and in shelters in northern France tell me they just want to survive and be safe. Reuniting with family is one of the main reasons why some of them are determined to come to the UK. Others are more familiar with the English language or are determined to return to education and feel they would have the best possible chance to rebuild their lives here. However, the message from the UK government now is that the UK no longer wants to offer them refuge. This message shows how far it has fallen from its tradition of being a place where refugees could flee violence and persecution.
Why Unaccompanied Children Need Protection
As a former refugee child, I fully understand how terrifying it is to leave home and everything you’ve ever known behind. At least I was lucky to have help getting to the UK as part of the Kindertransport mission. Unaccompanied children arriving in the country today have to take great risks and make impossible decisions on their own. These children need protection to ensure that their basic rights are upheld and they can seek justice if they have been wronged.
Safe Passage: How Children Can Find Protection
Data shows that the vast majority of unaccompanied children arriving in the UK are granted refugee protection because of the dangers they have faced. Last year, almost nine out of 10 were allowed to stay. This illustrates how many unaccompanied children would be denied a fair hearing and sanctuary under the proposed new law. However, there are still ways to ensure that unaccompanied children can find protection in the UK. Safe Passage is a charity that helps unaccompanied children find safe and legal routes to protection. Safe Passage works with governments and organizations in the UK and across Europe to ensure that the most vulnerable children can find refuge.
Conclusion: Summary of Key Points
In conclusion, the UK government’s illegal immigration bill is one of the most divisive pieces of legislation of recent times. One of its most controversial provisions is the proposal to deny refugee protection to children arriving via irregular routes. This move has been heavily criticized for being cruel, inhumane, and breaking international law. Denying child protection is thus one of the cruelest and most punitive parts of this terrible bill. However, there are still ways to ensure that unaccompanied children can find protection in the UK. Safe Passage is a charity that helps unaccompanied children find safe and legal routes to protection, and their work is crucial in ensuring that vulnerable children have access to justice and refuge.
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The writer is a fellow Labor and former child refugee and MP.
Right now, as the government’s illegal immigration bill moves through parliament, children are fleeing torture and persecution in Iran and Afghanistan, conscription in Eritrea, and shooting and airstrikes in Syria and Sudan. .
Heartbreakingly, most will never have known a life without violence and fear. However, they leave hoping to find a place where they can feel safe.
But the UK no longer wants to offer them refuge. The illegal immigration bill would prohibit children from getting protection here, just because of how they got there. I find it incredible that this government wants to punish children for asking for security.
As a former refugee child, I fully understand how terrifying it is to leave home and everything you’ve ever known behind. At least I was lucky to have help getting to the UK as part of the Kindertransport mission. Unaccompanied children arriving in the country today have to take great risks and make impossible decisions on their own.
A significant number arrive here via irregular routes, such as crossing the Channel in boats or in the back of trucks. These are acts of desperation born of the chaos and misery of war and persecution.
Refugee children I’ve met in the UK, in camps in Greece and in shelters in northern France tell me they just want to survive and be safe. Reuniting with family is one of the main reasons why some of them are determined to come to the UK. Others are more familiar with the English language or are determined to return to education and feel they would have the best possible chance to rebuild their lives here.
Ministers say they will only protect children who arrive via a safe route, but most refugee children cannot access safe routes. Analysis by the charity Safe Passage found that less than 6 per cent of unaccompanied children granted protection in the UK in the 2010-20s were able to gain access through government schemes.
Those who try to get there via the very small number of secure routes, such as family reunion, end up losing faith in the process due to Home Office delays. In recent years, half of the children that SafeWalk worked with in other countries to join his family in the UK have disappeared. Many later crossed the Channel because they saw no other way to reach what was left of their family.
Data shows that the vast majority of unaccompanied children arriving in the UK are granted refugee protection because of the dangers they have faced. Last year, almost nine out of 10 were allowed to stay. This illustrates how many unaccompanied children would be denied a fair hearing and sanctuary under the proposed new law. I fear refugee children will be so terrified of turning 18, when the government might banish them to Rwanda or another “safe country”, that they will risk disappearing into exploitation before then.
As well as being brutal and morally bankrupt, the new law risks breaking international standards that require refugee children to have special protection. The government recognized this in the Nationality and Borders Law, which was passed last year with exclusions for refugee children. This allows your asylum application to be fairly considered regardless of your route here.
Now the government claims that the blanket sanctuary ban will deter even children, ignoring that it is human instinct to find family and safety. There is no evidence to suggest that the UK will gain more control of its borders through this measure.
Denying child protection is one of the cruelest and most punitive parts of this terrible bill: I have introduced an amendment exempting unaccompanied children from the unnecessary bar on seeking asylum. Ministers must help these young lives begin to recover from the ordeal of such desperate travel.
https://www.ft.com/content/e35bbfd6-abfe-45f2-b14c-0bad290abe07
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