The government pledged to resettle family members in the UK of Afghans who helped the NATO occupying forces but at the moment there is no mechanism for them to do this.
More than 100 charities and campaigners have accused the government of abandoning Afghans in danger who were promised the right to reunite with family members in the UK.
It has been a year since the scheme for Afghans rescued under Operation Pitting, known as the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme (ACRS), was launched. The 6,300 Afghans who have been brought to the UK under the scheme but who had to leave their families behind in Afghanistan say their close relatives are in grave danger. They do not know if and when the government will allow them to be reunited with family members.
Safe Passage International highlights that vulnerable family members – including women, girls and those from persecuted religious and minority ethnic communities – have been forced to live in hiding in Afghanistan, putting their lives at great risk. Campaigners are asking the prime minister to honour the commitments made to Afghan families. The government’s own guidance, published in September 2021, committed to helping families of members of those in the UK under ACRS. A factsheet for Afghans evacuated to the UK, published in April 2022, promised “further information will be made available in due course about options for reuniting’ with family”.
Beth Gardiner-Smith, the chief executive of Safe Passage International, said: “It’s been 18 months since families were torn apart when Kabul fell. The government has effectively abandoned Afghans, leaving them without a process to reunite with loved ones who are at risk despite repeated promises made. Afghans remain one of the top nationalities risking their lives to cross the Channel, but rather than create the safe routes that would allow them to reunite with family, the prime minister prefers to concentrate on new laws to further punish refugees.”
Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said, “The lack of any visible action from government is only making the situation worse, with many of the people we support feeling increasingly helpless.”
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