Dangerous cracks in resettlement scheme for most vulnerable Syrian refugees

The Home Affairs Committee has today described Europe's reaction to the refugee crisis as "lamentable". The all-party committee's 80-page report, Migration Crisis, also comments on the "complacent" attitude of then Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond to the thousands of refugees fleeing to Europe across the Mediterranean.

The report reveals how then Prime Minister David Cameron's plan to accept 20,000 Syrian refugees has been so far unfulfilled, with just 1,602 Syrians accepted under the scheme up to March 2016.

Freedom from Torture made a submission to the Home Affairs Committee in October. Susan Munroe, Chief Executive of Freedom from Torture, said:

"In these debates about border control, we must never forget that many vulnerable people fleeing torture and other persecution are invisible within these population flows.

In keeping with her vision of this country as a ‘beacon of hope’ for those most in need, the Prime Minister should heed today’s call by Parliamentarians for the UK to meet its moral obligation by helping a greater share of asylum seekers and refugees to find safety in this country. To stop any need for people smugglers, more safe and legal pathways should be created immediately, including by testing a humanitarian visa scheme and increasing resettlement places that are not just for Syrians.

Given dangerous cracks in the government’s flagship Syrian refugee resettlement scheme, Theresa May’s decision to axe the Minister for Syrian Refugees looks like an act of self-sabotage. We have long warned that the promise to prioritise the most vulnerable, including torture survivors, is at risk of being broken and that coordination with us and other voluntary sector service providers seeking to help has been woeful. We are calling for a joint government and civil society task force to be established without delay to rescue the programme and ensure that those suffering from trauma can access the specialist services they need."