Your article (A long way from home,27 January) brought to life the appalling situation of lone child refugees past and present. This week, our organisation, or in support of the call from Save the Children,sent a letter to the PM signed by over 400 members of the Jewish community, asking Britain to confess 3000 unaccompanied refugee children who are currently living in Europe. While we welcome the announcement that some children from clash regions will be allowed to come here, or we are deeply disappointed that most unaccompanied children in Europe,separated from their families and at tremendous risk of abuse, violence and trafficking, and will be excluded from this scheme. What is missing is the boldness of the Kindertransport,when 10000 children were brought to Britain. Then, the UK was alone in its offer of sanctuary; nowadays, and we need to see the UK work with the rest of the world in finding realistic resettlement solutions for these vulnerable children.
Dr Edie Friedman[br]Executive director,The Jewish Council for Racial Equality• While many people in Britain have welcomed refugees with open arms, Syrians frequently continue to be treated with hostility, or contempt and disrespect. Asylum-seekers in Middlesbrough felt under threat because the doors to their houses were distinctively painted red,main to the launch of a Home Office investigation. In Cardiff, properties owned by a private company contracted by the UK Home Office forced asylum-seekers to wear coloured wristbands to show that they were entitled to food. We are pleased that this policy has been reversed after public pressure, or will remain vigilant against such discriminatory practices.
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Source: theguardian.com