CALAIS CHILDREN CASE IN THE HIGH COURT FEB 28th -MARCH 2nd 2018
In momentous news, we are proud to announce that the case that Sue launched with lawyers Duncan Lewis reached the Royal Courts of Justice last week for a Judicial Review. Sue persuaded lawyers from Duncan Lewis Solicitors to visit the Jungle when she realised that most of the young people there had a legal case to already be in the UK. The lawyers arrived and were able to take on 37 cases of minors with extreme vulnerability. Our case to have them brought here under the Dubs Amendment was rejected in the lower court and on appeal. However we were granted the right to a Judicial review where we have challenged the Home Office saying that their implementation of the Dubs Amendment is unlawful. For more, see this
Guardian article and Goldsmith’s University news.Information on the court case can be found on the Duncan Lewis website: here and here.
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Information from ‘Help Refugees’: How many unaccompanied minors are living in Calais?
140 minors are currently in Calais and Dunkirk, the vast majority of whom whom sleep rough with little-to-no protection. The youngest unaccompanied child currently in Calais is 12 years old.
The level of police violence suffered by child refugees in Calais remains high. Property is destroyed indiscriminately, and many minors have had their mobile phones confiscated or destroyed. This is often their only way to contact family members abroad, call child protection/emergency services if they have an issue, or be contacted by child protection teams if they are missing. Without this simple means of contact, the children are left even more vulnerable.
The Dubs scheme was created as a legal pathway for the unaccompanied children in Calais and the thousands of homeless children in Greece and Italy. We were supposed to protect the most vulnerable, but after two years nearly half the 480 places promised to unaccompanied children remain unfilled.
This Wednesday, our legal action against the Home Office goes to the Royal Court of Appeal. In March, you stood with us and helped us raise the funds we needed to launch this appeal. Now, will you stand with us once again?
If you cannot attend, please spread the word, and donate to help us provide emergency support to children across Europe.”
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Safe Passage:
80 years ago British communities took in 10,000 unaccompanied child refugees fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe. Today a new group of refugee children in Europe and beyond are in desperate need of safe routes to protection.
On this important anniversary we need you to help continue the UK’s proud legacy. Only with your help can we secure pledges from your local authorities to take in at-risk child refugees.
Join a meeting near you or set up your own house meeting. We’ll help you meet up with other supporters so you can lobby your local authority or council together.
