Danish authorities have been accused of putting the futures of dozens of refugee children at risk by threatening to expel them to Syria, despite warnings that it is not safe to do so.
In a statement released on Wednesday, children’s rights group Save the Children said it was “deeply concerned” to discover that at least 70 refugee children are at risk of being expelled to Syria.
Denmark sparked outcry after it announced plans to strip Syrian refugees from Damascus of temporary protections allowing them to stay in the country after officials determined that it was safe for them to return home due to the security situation in parts of Syria having “improved” significantly.
The move comes following a report last year in which the government said “the conditions in Damascus in Syria are no longer so serious that there are grounds for granting or extending temporary residence permits”.
As a result of the decision, hundreds of Syrian refugees from the region are at risk of losing their residency permits, which would likely force them to return home to a country that has been embroiled in conflict for the past decade.
Speaking with Euronews on Wednesday, Amjad Yamin, Advocacy, Media and Communications Director at Save the Children’s Syria office, said the organisation was aware of at least 70 children who are awaiting on a final decision on whether or not they lose their rights to stay in Denmark.
If their rejections are confirmed, they and their family members would have to make plans with Danish authorities to return to Syria or they could be placed in departure centres for an indefinite period, he said.
