I have turned 18 and I’ve just been given the right to remain here in this country. Thanks to Safe Passage’s help I can finally call the UK home.

It is estimated that over 200 child refugees are living rough in Calais. Due to the lack of child protection laws in France, these children are living on the streets or in the woods, without a tent.

Today as Europe faces the greatest refugee crisis since that war, we urge you to reflect on our nation’s proud history and ensure we live up to the standard set by generations past.

The report found that police violence has taught refugee children to fear the same authorities who should be protecting them, leaving the way open for smugglers and those who want to exploit the children, including traffickers.

Mohammed died in Oxfordshire in April 2015 when the lorry he had stowed away in ran him over. Having travelled from Iraq, the Kurdish teenager spent three months in the camps in Dunkirk before eventually smuggling himself to the UK under the wheel arches of the lorry. He was trying to reach his uncle, Shamal Silah in Manchester.

VPRS will now be extended to include refugees from the Middle East North Africa region and a total of 20,000 refugees are expected to be resettled by 2020. 

The hard work of Refugees Welcome supporters during the general election campaign paid off.

On news of the closure, Safe Passage initiated a mass action, supporting refugee welcome groups and communities across the country.

Not only has the UK failed to learn the lessons of Calais, or to set up a functioning family reunion system for those who have a legal right to come to the UK, but in some cases, the government has used the court system to try to keep out children with legal rights to transfer.