We are told about extreme numbers of “migrants invading our shores” and how we must find better ways to defend our borders but what is rarely highlighted is the children involved, who very much need our protection.
According to Home Office data, the number of applications from unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in 2021 was 4,382. This was 600 higher than in 2019, but certainly not the thousands more the government implies. Overwhelmingly, these children are fleeing from places of conflict like Iran, Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. They have been separated from their families and loved ones. Some will have been trafficked here and witnessed extremely traumatic events or experienced abuse in their home country or on the perilous journey to get here. They deserve to be helped, supported and nurtured like every child in this country.
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