UK opposition lawmakers and human rights activists stepped up criticism against the government on Wednesday following media reports that a 16-year-old migrant had been found dead on the French side of the English Channel
LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th August, 2020) UK opposition lawmakers and human rights activists stepped up criticism against the government on Wednesday following media reports that a 16-year-old migrant had been found dead on the French side of the English Channel.
According to reports by the French authorities cited by the UK media, the teenager's body, who was identified as a Sudanese migrant, was found on Wednesday morning on a beach in Calais.
"This is utterly heartbreaking. Thoughts with his loved ones. The situation is lacking in humanity & totally unacceptable. The Government urgently needs to work on a solution with international partners & address the exploitative behaviour of criminal gangs," Labour lawmaker and shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds wrote on Twitter.
The politician also said the boy's death is a terrible reminder of the human impact of the situation in the English Channel.
"I wrote to the Home Secretary calling for answers: we await a reply - and action. The Government must not militarise a humanitarian crisis & abolishing DFID [Department for International Development] is a dreadful decision," he added in a series of tweets.
Labour leader Keir Starmer also took to the social media platform to voice his concern over the tragedy, and warn that "this is a humanitarian crisis that needs a compassionate response."
Reacting to the reports on the boy's death, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel called the loss of a young life upsetting and blamed human traffickers for the tragedy.
"This is an upsetting and tragic loss of a young life. This horrendous incident serves as a brutal reminder of the abhorrent criminal gangs and people smugglers who exploit vulnerable people. Working together we are determined to stop them," she wrote on Twitter.
Bella Sankey, director of Detention Action, an organization that campaigns for the rights of asylum-seekers in the United Kingdom, directly accused Patel of the migrant's death, and called for her resignation.
"Your failure to create a safe and legal route for this young person has directly led to their death. If you had any shame or any conscience, you would consider your position," she tweeted.
According to The Guardian, more than 4,300 people have crossed the English Channel so far this year in an attempt to enter the UK illegally.
