Reasons why all British children urgently need to be rescued and brought back home from Syria
These are innocent children who’ve been swept up in horrific events, far beyond their control.
Dozens of British children, along with thousands of children from around the world, have been swept up in horrific events, far beyond their control. They have witnessed appalling acts of brutality and should be repatriated and brought to safety now. A girl we are working with arrived in a camp in North-East Syria, after fleeing an ISIS-held area. She had shrapnel embedded in her stomach and was in so much pain, whilst waiting for treatment, she resorted to cutting it out herself using a rusty razorblade she found on the floor. There are thousands of innocent children who’ve been swept up in horrific events, far beyond their control, who’ve witnessed appalling acts of brutality and who should be repatriated and brought to safety now.
The conditions in Syria’s camps means they are no place for a child.
In the past year, over 300 children have reportedly died in Al Hol camp. These are desolate places, where toddlers battle hunger, disease and are now threatened with increasing violence. Camps have little shelter, and extremely limited health facilities. 85% of children living here are under 12 and nearly half are under 5. That’s babies and toddlers who are being stripped of their future, and instead live day to day in horror. If those British children were urgently rescued and brought back to the UK, they would not just have the basics that children need to live properly, but be surrounded by support, care and love, things that will start the process of recovery which is so desperately needed.
The window to take British children out of Syria is closing rapidly.
With last week’s escalation of conflict in North East Syria, it’s become even more difficult to repatriate British children. But with routes to neighbouring countries still open, there is a window, however small, to act.
Children deserve a future.
We welcome the Foreign Secretary’s comments earlier this week that British orphans should be helped to recover in the UK, and last night the Home Office said it will consider repatriation, but whilst several countries have started repatriating children months ago, we haven’t seen any proactive action from the UK. These children have a chance to recover, and the UK government has the opportunity to give them the future they deserve.
Wherever they are, wherever they’re from, we believe that children are the future, our future.
Everywhere we work has one thing in common: children are incredible. Through their play, their dreams, their growth they give us all a glimpse of the future. And children currently stranded in North-East Syria are no different, no matter what they’ve been dragged into by the decisions their parents have made and urgently need to be rescued. I keep coming back to the words of a child we’re working with in one of the camps, telling us… ‘I was so surprised to find kindness in an adult. I wasn’t expecting that there would be people in the world who want to help children like me.’ There is so much hope in those few words, hope that change is possible, hope for a better future. Let’s not let him down.
You have the power to put pressure on the UK Government to do the right thing for British children.
Sign the petition, write to your MP, post on social media – please do whatever you can to urge the UK government to act now and give these children the future they deserve.
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