LONDON
The UK government announced on Wednesday that it will open its doors to several hundred of Syria's 'most vulnerable' refugees.
"We will be providing emergency sanctuary to people who are most at risk, including victims of torture and violence," UK Home Secretary Theresa May said in a statement in the House of Commons.
Also speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Prime Minister David Cameron said that the UK is committing £600 million in humanitarian aid, making it the second largest donor supporting the survival of Syria’s displaced people.
Cameron said, "We will be coming forward to help the most needy people in those camps and to offer a home in our country."
Director of Amnesty International UK, Kate Allen responded in a statement, "This move is long overdue but of course it's never too late to do the right thing."
Home Secretary May said that there are credible reports which suggest that the systematic use of torture and starvation was taking place in Syria, and added, "Millions of innocent people have fled their homes. There are now more than 11 million Syrians in desperate need, including 6.5 million people displaced inside Syria and more than 2.3 million refugees in neighboring countries, with at least half of them children.”
This week at the Geneva II, peace talks between Syria's Assad regime and the Syrian National Coalition continue under the mediation of UN envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi.
The UK government's resettlement program is backed by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR); it will be helping the UK identify those most in need, on a case-by-case basis.
The Home Secretary said, "We are determined to ensure that our assistance is targeted where it can have the most impact on the refugees at greatest risk."
"In particular we will prioritize help for survivors of torture and violence, and women and children at risk or in need of medical care who are recommended to us for relocation by UNHCR. Some of the worst abuses in the Syrian conflict involve the use of sexual violence, including in regime detention centers," she added.
May said that the Department for International Development (DFID) was prioritizing the protection of women and girls, including providing clinical care for 12,000 of Syria’s refugees and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Jordan.
Over 100,000 people have been killed and almost nine million displaced since civil war broke out in Syria in March 2011.
The UK has taken in nearly 3,500 Syrian asylum seekers, with 1,100 Syrian nationals recognized as refugees in year to September 2013.
Many displaced Syrians are located in camps in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and other countries bordering Syria.
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