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<p>The Government acknowledges the importance of the message of His Holiness Pope
Francis and the UK remains fully committed to playing our part in supporting refugees
and tackling the migration crisis.</p><p>From the outset of the crisis the UK has
pushed for a comprehensive approach that focuses on the root causes of migration and
has called for more action in source and transit countries to disrupt the smuggling
networks, to improve local capacity to control borders, and to support sustainable
livelihoods, both for people living there and for refugees. It is essential that we
take action to support individuals affected by conflict in their region of origin,
and do not encourage people to risk their lives by making dangerous journeys to Europe.
This is why the Government has established the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement
Scheme, which will resettle up to 3,000 individuals from the Middle East and North
Africa region by the end of this Parliament. This is in addition to our commitment
to resettle 20,000 Syrians to the UK over the same time period. So far over 4,400
have arrived in the UK, around half of whom are children.</p><p>The Government has
committed £2.3 billion to the Syria crisis, over £70 million in response to the wider
Mediterranean migration crisis, and we have established a £10 million Refugee Children
Fund for Europe to support the needs of vulnerable refugee and migrant children arriving
in Europe. In 2016, we also transferred over 900 unaccompanied asylum seeking children
from within Europe to the UK. The Government recognises the particular vulnerabilities
of child migrants and victims of modern slavery. This is why the Home Secretary launched
in October 2016 a £3 million Child Trafficking Protection Fund aimed at reducing vulnerability
to exploitation and victim support and recovery.</p>
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