Author-May Bulman
Dozens more refugee children could risk their lives making the dangerous crossing from France to Britain if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, charities have warned.
The system of transferring asylum-seeking children in the EU to join family members in Britain is set to come to an end under no-deal Brexit, the UN refugee agency UNHCR has said.
This would leave hundreds of child refugees in Europe turning to people traffickers in an attempt to join their family members, including around 64 youngsters in northern France, charities and politicians warn.
Currently, unaccompanied minors in Europe who have relatives in the UK can apply to join them under the Dublin III Regulation, which is part of EU law.
It is a long process, with children often waiting months or even years to be moved to Britain after submitting their applications, but it has enabled hundreds of youngsters to reunite with their relatives in recent years.
Maddy Allen, field manager for Calais-based charity Help Refugees, said scrapping the law would “immediately put hundreds of children at risk across Europe”, including the 64 youngsters sleeping outside in Calais and Dunkirk.
