Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of claims that Eritrean children are fleeing from their country because of human rights violations or crimes against humanity.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government is deeply concerned by reports that over 3000 unaccompanied minors from Eritrea make the dangerous journey to Europe every year. A number of factors lead to both adults and children leaving Eritrea. These include a mix of economic pressures, a lack of opportunity, and the country’s poor human rights record. The UK remains deeply concerned about the human rights situation inside Eritrea. We have stepped up our engagement with the Government of Eritrea and made clear we want to see concrete action to improve respect for human rights. In addition, through the UK chaired EU/African Union “Khartoum Process”, we are working with African Partners to tackle the smuggling and trafficking networks that exploit these vulnerable children.