The UK must offer a place of safety to Syrian refugees

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/14/uk-safety-syrian-refugees-un

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On Wednesday, we're expecting the UK government to commit more aid to the Syrian humanitarian crisis. If the announcement goes ahead, it will be is lifesaving news.

The government's contribution to the relief effort to help Syrians in the region has been unquestionably generous. However, given the scale and gravity of the crisis, we must do everything within our means to help people find safety and aid is only part of the answer.

Last week the deputy prime minister was asked why the UK was not accepting resettled refugees from Syria. He answered by asserting that the UK had offered asylum to 1,500 Syrians in the last year.

On the surface, Nick Clegg's answer sounded impressive. In reality, he was disingenuously dodging a legitimate question about the UK's continued failure to accept resettled refugees from the region.

Like all refugees, Syrians who are fortunate to reach the UK under their own steam are of course, legally entitled to apply for asylum. However, the Refugee Council estimates that only around 0.1% of refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict have made it to British shores.

What Clegg was actually being asked about was the UK's response to the UN's call for western countries to offer to resettle refugees from Syria.

Resettlement would help the most vulnerable refugees find a place of safety. The UN's Refugee Agency identifies refugees in need of resettlement to be transferred to western countries such as the UK, which is better able to help them.

The UNHCR has appealed for western governments to accept 30,000 of the most vulnerable refugees trapped in the region. So far 18 countries have heeded its call. We are ashamed that the UK is not one of them.

A resettlement place in the UK would offer a lifeline to someone who will struggle to survive in the harsh conditions in the region; we're talking about women at risk of sexual violence, torture survivors who cannot get the care they need, vulnerable older adults and families with children. These people, those that need our help the most, will simply never be able to make it out of the region – not without assistance.

The humanitarian crisis shows no sign of abating: the UNHCR predicts at least another 1.5 million people could flee Syria in search of safety this year. Syria and its surrounding countries face a human tragedy of colossal proportions.

Syria's neighbouring countries, such as Lebanon and Jordan, are already buckling under the strain. In Lebanon, one of the most densely populated countries in the world, a fifth of the population are now refugees from Syria.

It would be catastrophic if the neighbouring countries closed their borders to the thousands of people who flee the conflict every day. The UK has a moral imperative to show solidarity with the countries bordering Syria by offering resettlement places to people escaping the violence.

It is extremely encouraging to see a growing consensus that the UK can and should play a full role in a worldwide refugee resettlement programme, with politicians from across the political spectrum echoing our call.

Britain has a proud tradition of protecting refugees. We've all seen the horrific images from Syria being brought into our homes by the media. The situation being faced by Syrian refugees is unfathomable for many of us, but we can and should help.

The prime minister has said Britain is not a country that will stand back and do nothing.

Today we are appealing for political leadership. The UK cannot close the door to people who so urgently need our protection.

Now is the time to act. People's lives could depend on it.

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