I lost my brother-in-law, Masud, in Calais in December 2015. Masud was 15 years old. He had been living in the ‘Jungle’ for three months, and was hoping to join me and my wife– his older sister – in London. Instead, he died.

We welcome the UK-France agreement, announced today, to speed-up family reunion for refugees in Calais with family in Britain.

After waiting 15-months the first two boys are now safe in their new homes and able to get the support they need and deserve. We are expecting a few more vulnerable children to be transferred shortly.

Many unaccompanied child refugees find themselves in Ventimiglia on their journeys through Europe. Without accommodation, many are forced to sleep rough or in an accommodation centre for adults. 

We’re proud to announce that it is going to provide legal assistance within the centre and ensure that minors eligible for family reunification are aware of their rights to join their relatives in the UK.

“riot police routinely use pepper spray on child and adult migrants while they are sleeping or in other circumstances in which they pose no threat; regularly spray or confiscate sleeping bags, blankets, and clothing; and sometimes use pepper spray on migrants’ food and water.”

Children should not be required to live in these awful conditions at the hands of people smugglers; I hope for Daniel, this will soon be a distant memory.