Ireland giving 'urgent consideration' to taking more refugee children after Greek fires

Two girl sits on a suitcase as they watch other refugees and migrants from the Moria camp protesting on the Greek island of Lesbos, a few days after a fire destroyed the Moria refugee camp. Picture: Angelos Tzortzinis/ AFP

Children’s minister Roderic O’Gorman is giving “urgent consideration” to taking in unaccompanied children left stranded by fires that destroyed a massive refugee camp in Greece last week.

In a meeting between the minister met and UNHCR Ireland, the issue was raised and, after, its Head of Office Enda O’Neill urged Ireland to meet its commitments to relocate unaccompanied children.

Mr O’Neill pointed out that Ireland committed two years ago to take in 36 unaccompanied minors from Greece, but that only eight had arrived to date.

It follows moves by Germany and France for the EU to take in 400 unaccompanied minors from the destroyed Moria camp on the island of Lesbos.

An estimated 13,000 people in total had been living in the overcrowded refugee camp, the largest in Europe.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was a "humanitarian imperative" for the EU to evacuate the migrants, now stranded on the roadsides.

Asked by the Irish Examiner was Mr O’Gorman examining the relocation of unaccompanied children from Lesbos, a spokesperson for the Department of Children and Youth Affairs said: “The matter is under urgent consideration by the minister. He hopes to be in a position to make an announcement soon.” 

Responding, UNHCR Ireland said the European Commission had just announced it was bringing forward a new process to better protect refugees, called the Pact on Migration and Asylum, to September 23.

“In the meantime, the relocation of vulnerable children and other vulnerable persons, especially at a time of heightened hardship, has proven to be a workable act of responsibility sharing and we hope to see this expand with more participation soon, including from Ireland,” it said in a statement.

It said the UNHCR and other agencies were providing support to the temporary facilities on Lesbos: "But this is an emergency measure to provide immediate shelter and protection to asylum seekers who are otherwise sleeping rough in makeshift shelters or out in the open, in fields, groves and parking lots for the seventh night in a row."

The Immigrant Council of Ireland told the Irish Examiner last week that the Government should “play its part” in what was a “humanitarian crisis”.

Cork-based Nasc said there was a “clear moral imperative” on Ireland to help the children, saying it “could not look away”.

The Department of Justice told the Irish Examiner last Friday that relocation requests were “given careful consideration", but that care for unaccompanied children fell to Department of Children and Youth Affairs.