Celebrities Urge UK To Help Reunite Refugee Families - Amnesty International

Celebrities Urge UK to Help Reunite Refugee Families - Amnesty International

Some 70 celebrities, actors, singers and authors have signed a letter urging UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to change current immigration laws preventing child refugees that traveled to the United Kingdom unaccompanied to reunite with their families on UK soil, Amnesty International UK said on Monday

LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th September, 2020) Some 70 celebrities, actors, singers and authors have signed a letter urging UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to change current immigration laws preventing child refugees that traveled to the United Kingdom unaccompanied to reunite with their families on UK soil, Amnesty International UK said on Monday.

Among the UK high-profile celebrities that have signed the petition launched by the Families Together coalition are actresses Vanessa Redgrave, Emma Thompson and Olivia Colman, model Kate Moss and former footballer and sports broadcaster Gary Lineker, the organization said in a press release.

Unlike adult refugees, who are allowed to sponsor their immediate family member to join them in the UK, children that sought asylum in the UK on their own are deprived of that right.

"There are children in the UK right now who have fled war and persecution and have no hope of seeing their parents or siblings again. We should be offering them support and compassion. A simple change to the rules could be transformational," Lineker is quoted as saying in the press release.

Laura Padoan, who co-chair the Families Together coalition, noted that the separation from our loved ones imposed by the COVID-19 lockdown is "a heartbreak all too familiar" for many refugee families who have been kept apart for many years due to the UK immigration rules.

"Today high-profile stars are sending a message loud in clear to the Prime Minister - families belong together," she said.

The letter, signed also by Anish Kapoor, Jessie Ware and Douglas Booth, reminds Johnson that the children seeking to reunite with their families have been recognized as refugees by the UK government after they have fled war and persecution in their countries of origin.

"After finally reaching safety, many must now grapple with a future of insecurity, knowing they might never see their family again. Tragically, at a time when children need their parents the most, our current rules mean that child refugees in this country will be left to live their lives alone," the letter added.

The Families Together coalition is made up of over 50 organizations including Amnesty International UK, British Red Cross, Oxfam GB, Refugee Council, Student Action for Refugees, The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and UNICEF UK.