On the eve of the second world war Britain offered sanctuary to 10,000 unaccompanied Jewish children. We must show similar compassion now On Monday the House of Lords approved by 306 to 204 an amendment to the immigration bill that would oblige the home secretary to admit 3,000 unaccompanied child refugees to the UK. According to Save the Children there are an estimated 26,000 unaccompanied children in Europe. They are believed to be mainly in Greece, Italy and the Calais area. According to the Italian authorities, several thousand of the children who arrived there last year have simply disappeared. The fear is that these children might fall victim to gangs who would exploit them as slave labour or for prostitution. In any case the winter is not over and they must be enduring appalling conditions. By taking in 3,000 of these children, the UK will encourage other European governments to play their part. Continue reading...