Afghanistan Peace Campaign
Based on statistics provided by British organizations active in immigration, 758 Afghan children crossed the English Channel and entered the UK in one year.
These organizations report that a total of 5,662 Afghans entered the UK via the English Channel during this one-year period.
The UK’s Home Office states that 350 Afghans also arrived in the UK during the same period via flights without valid immigration documents.
Of these, 1,854 people have been placed under the special Afghan resettlement scheme.
Additionally, in the same one-year period, 6,042 Afghans were transferred to the UK through the country’s resettlement programs.
British organizations active in immigration say that most of the children who entered the UK through the dangerous Channel route are those whose families were transferred to the UK during the evacuation process.
Due to the strict family reunification laws in the UK, these children have been forced to accept migration through dangerous routes.
The British government had previously committed to providing legal pathways for families who left their children behind during the early days of the evacuation process to reunite with them.
Refugee rights organizations criticize the British government for not offering a specific proposal for Afghan children’s reunification, forcing many to undertake dangerous journeys alone, as highlighted by Wanda Wyporska from “Safe Passage International.” Afghan parents face severe legal reunification challenges.