Vulnerable refugees arrive in UK
A group of 81 refugees – identified by the United Nations as the most vulnerable – will on Monday arrive in the UK.
The group, from the war torn countries of Liberia and the Congo, have been given sanctuary in the UK as part of an international refugee resettlement programme run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Home Secretary David Blunkett signed up to the scheme last year to offer refugees a way to reach the UK without having to put their lives in the hands of people smugglers.
UNHCR is responsible for selecting eligible individuals and organising an orientation programme on life in the UK before they move.
The scheme though has not proved as successful as was first hoped, with Ministers sniping at councils who have allegedly refused to take the vulnerable refuges.
This group, who will go to Bolton, are only the second group to arrive under the scheme, following an earlier group of 69 who settled in Sheffield.
Most of the refugees have been the victims of torture or rape. Many of them include families with young children who fled the Liberian civil war in 1990s and have been living in refugee camps in Sierra Leone ever since. Others fled the fighting in Eastern Congo and have been in refugee camps in Uganda ever since. Many of both groups have experienced further violence and attacks in the country of refugee.
Speaking this morning, Home Office Minister, Des Browne, said: “Britain has a proud history of offering a safe haven to those fleeing terror and persecution. Our involvement with the UNHCR Gateway protection programme offers a legal route for some of the world’s most vulnerable refugees who are in genuine need of our protection, without forcing them into the hands of people traffickers.
“It is a credit to the people of Bolton that they are willing to provide a safe haven to these refugees. I am sure that they will give them a warm welcome and support them as they settle in so that they can fully participate and play an active role in our society.
“The UK’s participation in this scheme is an important part of our balanced asylum and immigration strategy – tackling abuse of our asylum system by people who do not need protection, opening up managed migration routes which benefit our economy and better integration for those given permission to settle here”
