Child refugee rights
Safe Passage – one of Campbell Tickell’s charity partners for 2021 – helps unaccompanied child refugees travel legally to a place of safety, where they can be reunited with family members
STRATEGY
Image: Istock
Maya Alexander
Development Manager, Safe Passage
Safe Passage helps children needing asylum to reach a safe place, without risking their lives, by using the law. We make the system fairer for more children and families who are in dangerous situations.
Every year, thousands of child refugees arrive in Europe. Almost half of them are unaccompanied and, as a result, are at risk of being abused and trafficked. Many of these children lost their only legal route to travel safely to the UK when the UK government decided not to provide a viable alternative to EU family reunification laws, which ended on 31 December 2020. This decision means hundreds of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children will instead turn to people-smuggling gangs to assist them with travelling to Britain, placing them at greater risk of being trafficked.
Campbell Tickell has pledged an amazing £12,000 to help us continue the fight for refugee rights. Because of your support, we will be able to help more children and young people like Qandagha.
Qandagha’s story
“Before my father passed away, we had a good life, but then it became difficult. I was living with just my mother and my brother. I left home and came to the UK when I was 15 years old, because there was a bad situation in Afghanistan and my life was in danger.
“The journey was so dangerous. When I travelled across the border from Afghanistan to Iran, there were people who threatened us and took all our money and phones and clothes, and beat up some people. It was very scary. We were passed from smuggler to smuggler. It took around three months to reach the UK.
“When I came to the UK, I didn’t know if my family were okay, if they were alive or dead. In that time I was suffering severe stress and depression because of the things that happened to me and my family. I tried to kill myself because the situation and memories were so bad, and I couldn’t sleep.
“Then one day last year, I had a call from a Greek number. It was my brother! He had lost my mother during the journey. It was so cold in Greece in the winter. He slept on the underground sometimes because it was warmer than outside. I will do anything for my brother, I try my best. If my brother comes, I will be so, so, so happy! I will cook for him, play football with him, help him study, I will look after him. I don’t want to give my brother any sadness at all. I will keep him healthy and safe and all the time happy.”
Today Qandagha is living and studying in London and Safe Passage is currently working to reunite him with his brother.
“When I came to the UK, I didn’t know if my family were okay, if they were alive or dead. In that time I was suffering severe stress and depression because of the things that happened to me and my family. I tried to kill myself because the situation and memories were so bad.”
How you can help
This #RefugeeWeek (14-20 June) we are looking for passionate fundraisers to take part in our 10k challenge raising vital funds for child refugees. The 10k challenge honours the 10,000 children brought to safety from Nazi-occupied Europe on the Kindertransport. The 10k challenge is a personal or team sponsored challenge, you can pick any activity or challenge related to 10k! Whether you want to walk 10,000 steps a day, bake 100 cupcakes or run a 10k, you will be making a difference to the lives of children like Qandagha.
Email Maya to find out more.
Some of the Campbell Tickell team are taking part in the 10k challenge, collectively raising money for Safe Passage. Find out more and support them here.
