Commonwealth heads need to act on global child refugee crisis | Letters

Approaches to this crisis are failing vulnerable children, says Alison Wallace; and Sarah Pickwick calls for more UK aid money to be spent on children. Plus letters from Jenny O’Shea and Sam Akaki

I implore the Commonwealth heads of state meeting in London this week to make the global child refugee crisis a priority. Fifty million children worldwide have been displaced from their homes by war, disaster and persecution. On their difficult and dangerous journey across key migrant routes they face risks of abuse, forced labour, child slavery and trafficking. Yet approaches to this crisis are failing vulnerable children.

Government attempts to prevent the safe entry of refugees into their countries have endangered children, forcing them on to more dangerous routes or into the hands of unscrupulous people smugglers. Frequently, arbitrary immigration rules – even in the UK – deport child refugees when they turn 18 or prevent unaccompanied children from being reunited with their families. This unique gathering of leaders brings together countries that have witnessed this devastating crisis from multiple perspectives – countries from which children are fleeing violent conflict and countries in which they seek refuge. Including Nigeria, where the Boko Haram insurgency has displaced millions; Bangladesh, which has received 650,000 Rohingya children since August; and Cyprus, which sits along the European migrant route.

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2HKte1c