Child refugees

Signed and shared. Thanks for highlighting it.

I have signed. Well done for highlighting this here.

Have signed, thanks Jess, It is so sad, what people have to think, is If it was our children, wouldn't we want someone to save them? Of course we would. these children have done nothing wrong, , They are caught up in a war. that they have nothing to do with x

I have signed and hope this can be debated again.

Beggars the question, what sort of person can ignore the suffering of children Just shrug and say - someone else's problem

I've signed. To me there is no justification for refusing to take these poor children.

Signed and shared ?

65,000+ signatures now. only another 35,000 and there could be another debate.
This time all the labour MPs should vote - no pairing.

Thanks for the link. I've signed.

Thanks, Iam (so ^some* DM articles are useful!)

Doesn't matter Jen, the children aren't British

Bump

Ana - I read recently (daily mail investigative piece) about children who were taken from residential or foster placements and attempts to find them remain unsuccessful. I have direct experience of this happening to children who had not been born in the UK and had lived here only briefly. Child sexual exploitation is suspected to be behind this kind of thing.

There is one gransnetter who fostered two boys from Afghanistan. I am very admiring of her.

"We’ve asked Save the Children for its most recent estimates directly, and are waiting for a response. The charity has previously estimated that a total of 26,000 unaccompanied children arrived in Europe last year.

Yvette Cooper’s claim on children sleeping rough in Greece is based on operational data from agencies working in Europe. A recent report from Unicef, Save the Children and Citizens UK claimed that there are around 2,000 lone refugee children trapped in Greece, well above the capacity of existing children's shelters there."

From Fullfact.

www.citizensuk.org/aid_agencies_call_for_urgent_action

Where did Radio 4 got the idea they're mainly Afghans?

Just wondering.

Do we consider France to be a terrible country with poor living conditions? No, and nor would anybody.Certainly the adults in the Jungle at Calais seem to think so though, as they refuse to comply with the authorities there and become French citizens ( or at least to have their backgrounds investigated by the French authorities as a precursor to that end.)The boys/ teenagers seem to be of Afghan origin ( according to something on Radio 4) however not sure of the ages involved, hard to imagine French police standing by while children on their own live in tents there, but if they do..... Shame on them.

What do you mean by 'whisked away', Iam64?

I don't know enough about the arrangements made in France for unaccompanied children. We do know about the problems here, with unaccompanied children being taken into care, placed with foster/residential carers and then being whisked away

Yes, but unaccompanied children living in shelters?
Shocking and very sad
Why have the French not given the children, at least, decent accommodation
Someone to be in loco parentis?
Wherever their eventual destination.

How can that be - don't we count building shelters for these people and attempting to police the camps, prevent people trying to get to the UK. I feel ashamed that we don't seem to be actively working with the French to find solutions.

France is doing nothing much at all, according to reports I have read.

Suzie, even if they were over sixteen, it is still very young to have to cope with such terrible living conditions unsupported. I don't agree that France is solely responsible for them. I believe it is the responsibility of all human beings to care for one another. This country absolutely should be doing it's utmost to do all we can, to help those who are living in the most dreadful conditions. I am ashamed that we are not doing so

And anecdotal evidence from people I know who work in Kent SServices and education. They tell of the pressures of having to cope with lots of teenage boys who have claimed asylum, having enteredd illegally and claim to be under 18, there is enormous pressure on child services in Kent.

Having read the guardian and listened to radio 4.