Jersey Cares; Refugee Aid Group has long been calling for Jersey to help the child migrant crisis and take two to three child refugees in every year.
Last week, Chief Minister John Le Fondré said the Island would not take any more refugees until children’s services had been put in order, but the group has vowed not to give up as it continues to press for a future commitment from the States.
Group chairwoman Laura Ridley said the people of Jersey would welcome a small number of child refugees and families had already stepped forward, saying they were willing to foster the children.
She said: ‘It is disappointing to hear the Chief Minister’s comments. He was asked a question by Deputy Pamplin earlier this year and he would not make a commitment.
‘That is what we are asking for – for a commitment to be made for the future.
‘We believe that we should not give up and we should keep asking questions because a lot of people think it is the right thing for Jersey.
‘There are families that have said they would be willing to foster people. I know some have spoken to Constable Simon Crowcroft about it.’
And she added: ‘We had an event with Lord Dubs a couple of months ago and he said he had not been somewhere with such a great atmosphere.’
JCRAG was set up in 2015 in response to the child migrant crisis that swept through Europe.
A number of trips have been made to the former refugee camp in Calais to take aid and to help refugees.
However, it is now deemed too dangerous.
The government has said that refugee children would be more difficult to deal with, due to the fact they might have complex mental-health issues.
However, the group’s chairwoman recently met a mental-health professional who has been to refugee camps, and assessed a child who was given sanctuary in England days later.
She believes there is an incorrect preconception about whether refugees need more care than most.
Laura added: ‘She said that there is information to show they are more resilient, because of what has happened and the journey they have had to go on.
‘I’m not saying they are not impacted by what they have seen, but this professional has said they are resilient because of where they had come from.
‘There is backlash to this topic, but we acknowledge children’s services aren’t good enough and need to improve.
‘We don’t want the child refugees to be helped and the Jersey children not to be helped – we want everyone to be helped the
same.
‘Also, these are not small children – they are 15, 16, 17 years old – and we just want a commitment that they will be helped.’
So far no refugees have been allowed to come to the Island.
Laura has made another appeal to Senator Le Fondré, to make the commitment to do things differently in the future.
She said: ‘We don’t expect a decision and things to happen overnight.
‘It is a very small number of vulnerable children coming into a comfortable and safe society.
‘I think sometimes people have the fear of the unknown, but a lot of people have said this would be a good thing for Jersey.’
