Lone children of the refugee crisis
Monday, May 9, 2016, 01:26
Sir, – Ireland cannot and must not remain silent on the plight of 95,000 children who on their own are forced to overcome razor fences on the borders of Europe, baton wielding riot police and the dangers of refugee camps across the EU.
The call by your contributor Murieann Ní Raghallaigh, (Opinion, May 6th) echoes the experiences seen at first hand by members of the Immigrant Council of Ireland during visits to camps in Northern France.
As an Independent Law Centre, the council is building partnerships with lawyers on the ground to try and identify children in Roscoff, Cherbourg and Calais who could be offered the opportunity to restart their lives in Ireland.
The need is great. Across Europe 10,000 children are missing, with little doubt that many have fallen victim to abuse and exploitation at the hands of sex traffickers, organised crime and thugs.
Our Government is failing to achieve its commitment to take in 4,000 men, women and children by the end of next year – just one family of 10 has been admitted. Surely a real and genuine way to correct this wrong is at the very least to reach out and offer shelter to the most vulnerable of this crisis, the children of war. –
Yours, etc,
Sr STANISLAUS KENNEDY
Immigrant Council of Ireland,
Andrew St, Dublin 2.
http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/lone-children-of-the-refugee-crisis-1.2638347