Charities back our call for action on refugee crisis

UK charities have backed The Independent’s Refugees Welcome campaign, calling on the British government to set up an urgent and properly funded resettlement programme for Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion - and to take the lead in offering a wider package of access and support.

- DAVID COHEN

 

So far, an estimated 120,000 Ukrainians have crossed into Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. With up to 4 million expected to flee in the coming days and weeks as fighting intensifies, charities said Britain needed to create a safe and legal route for Ukrainians escaping the horrors of war and put a halt to new legislation that criminalises asylum seekers.

The current advice from the UK government to Ukrainians – to seek sanctuary in the country they first enter was criticised by charities as a way of absolving Britain of responsibility, and stands in stark contrast to the actions of many other EU countries, who have opened their doors to refugees, and countries such as Portugal and Ireland, who have waived visa requirements.

Marian Kemple Hardy, head of campaigns at Refugee Action, said the charity “backed our timely campaign” and urged the UK government to commit to “a properly funded resettlement scheme that can take 10,000 refugees from worldwide conflicts a year”, which could “immediately be opened to fleeing Ukrainians”.

She added: “The government used to have a resettlement scheme, but it has been run down in the last two years, and now helps barely 1,500 people a year. We need a fully funded, ongoing plan for dealing with crises like these that erupt all the time, not just in Ukraine, and we cannot be reacting on a piecemeal basis. We are calling for a global resettlement scheme, set up in line with UN objectives, which would give sanctuary to 10,000 refugees a year in the UK, initially focusing on the Ukrainians.”