Home Secretary Agrees To Take 'Hundreds' Of Unaccompanied Children From Calais

Safe Passage UK today welcomed the news that the UK will take hundreds of unaccompanied refugee children from Calais. The announcement by Home Secretary Amber Rudd came following months of lobbying by Safe Passage UK.

Juliet Stevenson, a member of Safe Passage’s Advisory Council, said:
“We welcome the government’s announcement that they are willing to take in some of the unaccompanied children from the camp in Calais. However, they need to do it much faster. Much faster. Every night unaccompanied children are risking their lives trying to reach the UK, and the imminent threat of the demolition of the camp is only making them more desperate. Three unaccompanied children have died already this year trying to reach the UK from Calais. The government needs to respond appropriately to the urgency of this situation. It must work with the French to safeguard unaccompanied children in the camp immediately, and in the longer term, work to ensure these children have proper access to their legal rights.”