The Dubs scheme, offering a safe haven for thousands of vulnerable lone child refugees in Europe, is set to end, causing widespread anger.
Only 350 children came to Britain through the initiative conceded by David Cameron in May last year, despite initial suggestions that thousands would be helped. The archbishop of Canterbury said he was “shocked” at the decision, and Yvette Cooper, the former Labour shadow home secretary, described it as “shameful”.
Government action now contrasts sharply with Britain’s response to the breakup of Yugoslavia 25 years ago when the UK took in more than 200,000 asylum seekers over three years.
We spoke to people who came to the UK as child refugees about their experiences and their views on the current ruling. They talked about being welcomed to Britain and the value of schemes such as Dubs.
‘I came here, aged 10, from Iraq and know the value of this scheme’ – Bnar Talabani, 28, from Cardiff
It is shameful that as a first-world country with one of the best economies, our government is not prepared to protect the most vulnerable people who have lost everything.
I arrived in the UK in 1998 at the age of 10. My family and I had fled from north Iraq as Kurdish asylum seekers and we lived in Syria for two years, where we were granted refugee status. The United Nations, in agreement with the UK government, decided to relocate us to Britain. We arrived in the summer of 1998 having lived through some truly terrifying ordeals. We were greeted warmly and were made to feel at home. Following that, I spent the next nine months working hard to learn English and subsequently passed my 11-plus exams to attend school. During my time in education I became interested in international human rights and joined Amnesty International. I worked hard at school and was inspired to pursue a career in medicine. I was successful in attaining a place at Cardiff medical school and graduated with a medical degree and a science degree in 2013. Since then I have worked for the NHS. I have seen many of my colleagues emigrate to Australia and New Zealand because of current pressures on the health service, but I am determined to stay and give something back to the country that has given my family and me so much.
‘The refugees I know have contributed hugely to the UK. This would happen again’ – Michael Graubart, 86, from London
The news that the Dubbs action is under review shocked me more than anything recently. These are kids down on their luck. I have children, and a grandchild, I don’t need to say anything more. It’s a trivial number. For a country the size of Britain to say we cannot accommodate 3,000 children baffles me.
I was one of the lucky ones. I came to Britain because my parents were able somehow to obtain what I believe were forged papers. They let us leave Vienna in 1938, and because my father had contacts in Britain, we were allowed to enter and settle. Despite this, our existence remained economically precarious for some years. My younger cousin, whose father was murdered in front of her and her mother in the Kristallnacht of 1938, came to Britain on the very last Kindertransport from Austria.
Intellectually, I make a connection between my experiences and those of refugee children today, but I am not sure I do emotionally. Whenever I stop to think, though, I am aware of how lucky I was to be accepted into this country. My father established a business, made money and ended up going to university. I had an interesting career. I am grateful to Britain for permitting that. If I hadn’t been helped I would be dead. Britain in those days behaved very well. Having said that, the best way in was to have someone who could vouch for you, so perhaps we romanticise it a bit. There were still restrictions on who could be helped.
I remember one or two odd things from my experience, the little things children do. I was just under eight when I made the journey. One thing that sticks out in my mind is stopping at a restaurant on my way over. It was on the train platform and it had a tank with trout in it outside. I remember a waiter coming out and catching a trout and taking it back in. My parents must have felt a huge sense of relief when the train we were on crossed out of Austria and stopped on the Swiss side of the border.
If Britain doesn’t let in refugees like me then our image will be ruined around the world. The refugees I know have contributed hugely to the UK. I am sure that would happen again.
‘If our children were in the middle of a war we’d want them to find sanctuary’ – Anonymous, 59, from Scotland
My feeling is that Dubbs was a commitment made by the government and they should adhere to that. Britain has always been a compassionate country. It has an international reputation for that. If it was our children who were in the middle of a turbulent situation, like many child refugees are, we would want them to find sanctuary. I’m very disappointed to hear of the premature termination of the Dubs scheme. This seems very shortsighted. The children helped and cared for are very, very vulnerable. They’ve had their lives shattered by a cruel war. They have, in some cases, lost their homes and families. They have no means of supporting themselves or of growing up to lead the normal lives of children.
My parents came over to this country with the Kindertransport – that’s the series of rescue efforts which brought thousands of refugee Jewish children to Britain from Nazi Germany. They came at a very tender age, leaving their parents and siblings behind. They never saw them again and never spoke of their experiences. But both capitalised on the wonderful opportunities Britain granted them. My father joined the RAF and contributed to the war effort. He got a Cambridge scholarship to study architecture; my mother attended a finishing school. Both learned to speak and write English. They went on to gain vocational qualifications that let them become independent and productive adults. They both assimilated well in Kent and London, securing promotions in their lines of work. As well as raising three children, they participated in a raft of school and social committees from the National Trust to local boys’ clubs.
Growing up as second-generation immigrants, me and my sisters have always been grateful for the home we got here.
We have always felt very welcome and loved in Britain. Each of us worked hard at school, all went on to higher education and possessed an unusual drive to give of our best to the country. We’ve all become directors and senior managers in our fields and have devoted much spare time to voluntary organisations. We’re now raising our own children to live life to the full, to cooperate well with other people of all backgrounds. To make a positive and productive contribution to the world. The UK government should review their decision. They must consider how it could help to save lone children facing a terrible plight – and also benefit the UK.
