Every child should be able to live safely with their loved ones, but conflict and persecution can leave some with no option but to flee their homes and leave their families behind. For the few who find a place of safety in the UK, callous rules condemn them to a life without their parents or siblings. These children are recognised as refugees. Yet unlike adults, they are denied the right to be joined by their closest family members.
Our new report, Without My Family, details how the UK’s family reunion policy harms child refugees. Based on in-depth interviews with children and young people, and the professionals who work with them, the report shows how the UK Government’s hard-line policy deliberately keeps child refugees separated from their families.
The impact of family separation on children is clear: constant anxiety, fear for the safety of their families, and in some cases serious damage to their mental health.
Scroll below to read some of these stories.
Explore more about refugee children
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February 5, 2020
75,000-strong petition to reunite refugee families in Britain
As many as 75,000 members of the public are joining our calls to the Home Secretary to change the immigration…
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January 10, 2020
Child refugees prevented from being with their family, fresh research shows
Fresh research published by the Refugee Council, Amnesty International and Save the Children shows that the UK Government is…
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December 18, 2019
Puppet animation illustrates family separation through eyes of lone refugee child
It’s International Migrants Day today and, on behalf of the Families Together coalition, we are thrilled to launch a…
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