The Government has stopped accepting disabled child refugees fleeing war in Syria and other countries because it says it cannot cope with their needs, The Independent can reveal. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/disabled-child-refugees-uk-suspend-entry-home-office-resettlement-unhcr-united-nations-lord-dubs-a7571451.html A flagship government programme to resettle the most vulnerable victims of conflict in the Middle East and North Africa has been partially suspended, meaning children will be left in refugee camps instead of being moved to safety in the UK.
The revelation, condemned as “unthinkable” and “marking a new low” in the Government’s handling of the refugee crisis, comes as ministers came under fire for closing down a separate scheme, the Dubs programme, offering sanctuary to lone refugee children in Europe. Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, was forced to defend the Dubs closure yesterday, but faced criticism for saying that the scheme would “incentivise” children to travel to Europe. The Archbishop of Canterbury said he was “saddened and shocked” by its closure and appeared to compare the Government’s position with that of Donald Trump The crisis affecting the Government’s refugee programmes deepened as it emerged that its Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme, which is supposed to rehome 3,000 children with their families from countries including Syria, Libya, Yemen and Iraq, is not accepting young people with complex needs, including disabilities and learning difficulties. The United Nations Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which processes applications, said the Home Office had requested it “temporarily limit” requests from people with mobility problems and learning disabilities because there was not “suitable reception capacity” for them. The Independent understands the Home Office has been refusing to consider applications from people with disabilities since at least the beginning of January. It is understood that no end date to the suspension has yet been set. The latest developments come after the Home Affairs Select Committee found last month that accommodation provided for asylum seekers in the UK was a “disgrace”, with investigators describing people living in rat and insect-infested housing. Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said the revelation about disabled children “represents a new low for the Government” and she will be making further inquiries. -- Avinash Shahi Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
