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The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Joanne Froggatt among signatories calling on Government to take action on Sudan
Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt is among dozens of famous faces who have called on the UK Government to take 'rapid action' and provide humanitarian aid to Sudan. Froggatt is among 50 high-profile people from TV, film, music and sport who have signed an open letter led by children's charity Plan International UK which calls on the Prime Minister to tackle the crisis in Sudan by maintaining funding commitments after announcing a cut in the foreign aid budget. The letter, which was also signed by Warfare's Will Poulter, Bridgerton actress Adjoa Andoh and singer-songwriter Cat Burns, will be delivered to 10 Downing Street on Monday alongside a petition signed by more than 8,500 members of the public. Froggatt said: 'Millions of children have been forced into dangerous, overcrowded camps both within and beyond Sudan. These are not safe places for such young lives. 'Children's lives are now characterised by danger and death as hunger and disease spread while the violence rages on. 'They are suffering in silence. We need to draw attention to this crisis and demand rapid action from the UK Government. By talking about Sudan we can save children's lives.' Since the outbreak of the civil war in April 2023, Sudan has topped the International Rescue Committee's (IRC) Emergency Watchlist, which analyses countries that are most likely to experience a new or worsening humanitarian crisis, for a second consecutive year. The IRC has also described it as 'the largest and fastest displacement crisis in the world' and the 'largest humanitarian crisis on record'. England footballer Lucy Bronze, director Sir Steve McQueen and musician Peter Gabriel have also added their names to the open letter alongside TV cook Delia Smith and boxer Ramla Ali. The letter reads: 'Following over two years of violent conflict, Sudan is now the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with half of the country's population – a staggering 24.6 million people – already facing high levels of acute food insecurity. 'Time is quickly running out. Violence, starvation and disease are killing more and more children every day. The UK Government must do all it can to help save lives before it is too late.' Burns, who is known for her hit song Go, added: 'What's happening in Sudan is devastating. 'Children are being torn from their homes, going hungry, and living through horrors no one should ever face. 'We can't turn away or stay quiet. The world needs to act before even more lives are lost.' The letter also urges the Government to increase international pressure and mediation to ensure a ceasefire as well as providing emergency funding and scaling up mutual aid groups. Poulter, who is known for We're The Millers and The Maze Runner, said: 'The stories about the scale of starvation coming out of Sudan are utterly heart-breaking. 'The situation is quickly escalating into one of the worst famines ever recorded. 'With such an extreme shortage of food, immediate action is needed now to save lives and prevent further suffering. We can't let children and their families in Sudan starve to death.' The letter is supported by a coalition of aid organisations, including the chief executives of Cafod, Save the Children UK, Action Against Hunger, Christian Aid, and leading Sudanese campaigners. Mohamed Kamal, country director for Plan International Sudan, said: 'The sheer scale of the suffering being endured by people in Sudan is almost impossible to comprehend. 'Two years of brutal fighting, severe restrictions on the delivery of life-saving aid and a near-total collapse of the food supply across the country has caused a humanitarian catastrophe on a scale the world hasn't witnessed in generations. 'With every day that passes, more and more children face the unacceptable risk of death from extreme hunger, war and disease. Turning our backs on them would be utterly inhumane.' A spokesperson from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: 'As the Foreign Secretary said, Sudan is suffering one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes on record, which is why we convened leaders from around the world in April to strengthen support for the Sudanese people. 'The UK is doing all we can to provide aid, and last month announced £120 million to support over 650,000 Sudanese people in desperate need. 'The number of people who need help will rise if the warring parties continue to show an appalling disregard for human life by blocking aid routes that must be kept open, accessible and safe.'
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Aid groups hit back over development minister's ‘charity' comments
Aid organisations have hit back at the international development minister after she said the days of the UK Government acting as a 'global charity' were over. Groups including Plan International UK and Bond said they rejected Baroness Jenny Chapman's description of aid during her appearance in front of the Commons International Development Committee on Tuesday. Baroness Chapman, who took over as development minister in February after Anneliese Dodds resigned over cuts to the aid budget, told MPs: 'The world has changed, and with it so must our approach. 'The days of viewing the UK Government as a global charity are over.' Baroness Chapman went on to say there was an 'absolute crisis' in public support for international aid, adding that 'many of our partner countries' also wanted to 'move on from this model'. Arguing that the UK needed to focus more on sharing expertise than providing cash, she said: 'While our commitment to helping those living through emergencies is unwavering – for countries developing, we need to be an investor and not just a donor. 'It's about partnership and not paternalism.' But her remarks drew condemnation from aid organisations, who warned that recent cuts to the aid budget could cost lives in the developing world. Amelia Whitworth, head of policy at the charity Plan International UK, said: 'We entirely reject the notion that international development budgets are about acting as a 'global charity'. 'This framing is not only wrong, it is dangerous. International development funding is a vital pillar of a government's foreign policy. It helps build a safer, more stable and more prosperous world for everyone.' Gideon Rabinowitz, director of policy at NGO network Bond, said: 'UK aid isn't about charity, it is about global solidarity and responsibility to our international commitments, and it's an investment in a safer, healthier and more sustainable world that benefits us here in the UK.' Challenged over her remarks by committee chairwoman Sarah Champion, who said she 'never saw aid as charity', Baroness Chapman said she agreed, but had to 'speak very bluntly' when communicating with the public. She said: 'We are not talking to ourselves and I want the public to know, I want them to have confidence in the money that we are spending so we get their consent to continue with this agenda.' Baroness Chapman's appearance at the committee followed the Government's decision in February to slash the aid budget from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% in order to pay for increased defence spending. The move prompted Ms Dodds's resignation from the role and sparked concern that it could cost lives in the developing world, coming soon after US President Donald Trump's decision to effectively gut the US Agency for International Development. The UK's decision effectively cuts the aid budget by 40%, something Baroness Chapman said could not be done 'without thinking about what you are doing'. Earlier in the meeting, Ms Champion also expressed 'frustration' that Baroness Chapman's opening remarks had been widely reported in the media, saying this was 'rather disrespectful to the committee'. Baroness Chapman said she accepted the criticism and would ensure it did not happen again.
Straits Times
05-05-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Migrant children face fear and lack safety crossing Mexico, study shows
FILE PHOTO: A child's shoe is seen on the border between Mexico and the United States ahead of the U.S. presidential elections in November, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, September 9, 2024. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/File Photo Migrant children crossing Mexico in hopes of reaching the United States face alarming levels of violence, exclusion and prolonged uncertainty before, during and after their journey, according to a study published on Monday by Save the Children and Plan International. The report, based on 155 interviews conducted between November 2024 and February 2025, found that children fleeing danger at home often do not find the safety and international protection to which they are entitled, but rather new forms of vulnerability that continue to deprive them of their rights. The interviewees were aged between 7 and 16 years old. They came mostly from Mexico, Honduras and Venezuela, but also from Colombia, Guatemala and more distant locations such as Afghanistan and Haiti. The number of unaccompanied children traveling through Mexico to reach the United States has more than doubled in recent years, increasing from 69,488 in 2019 to 137,275 in 2023, driven by rising violence, deepening poverty and climate change-related displacement. "Migrant children are not finding safety when they cross the border into Mexico; they're finding more fear, more waiting, and more lost time," said Reena Ghelani, chief executive of Plan International, a UK-based humanitarian and development organization, in a press release. "No child should find themselves in this situation, especially after enduring such a perilous journey to find safety. They need support now – including protection, access to safe shelter, education and mental health care. We are seeing families so desperate that children are being forced to consider returning to the very places they fled from. That should never be their only option," she said. Plan International and Save the Children called for an immediate, coordinated response stating that authorities should strengthen child protection systems in border areas, improve access to education and mental health services, and provide adequate housing that prioritizes children's needs. The recent deportation of three U.S. citizen children — including one with cancer — to Honduras with their mothers has sparked criticism from human rights advocates. They accuse the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump of deporting children without due process, endangering their lives. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Migrant children face fear and lack safety crossing Mexico, study shows
By Diego Oré (Reuters) - Migrant children crossing Mexico in hopes of reaching the United States face alarming levels of violence, exclusion and prolonged uncertainty before, during and after their journey, according to a study published on Monday by Save the Children and Plan International. The report, based on 155 interviews conducted between November 2024 and February 2025, found that children fleeing danger at home often do not find the safety and international protection to which they are entitled, but rather new forms of vulnerability that continue to deprive them of their rights. The interviewees were aged between 7 and 16 years old. They came mostly from Mexico, Honduras and Venezuela, but also from Colombia, Guatemala and more distant locations such as Afghanistan and Haiti. The number of unaccompanied children traveling through Mexico to reach the United States has more than doubled in recent years, increasing from 69,488 in 2019 to 137,275 in 2023, driven by rising violence, deepening poverty and climate change-related displacement. "Migrant children are not finding safety when they cross the border into Mexico; they're finding more fear, more waiting, and more lost time," said Reena Ghelani, chief executive of Plan International, a UK-based humanitarian and development organization, in a press release. "No child should find themselves in this situation, especially after enduring such a perilous journey to find safety. They need support now – including protection, access to safe shelter, education and mental health care. We are seeing families so desperate that children are being forced to consider returning to the very places they fled from. That should never be their only option," she said. Plan International and Save the Children called for an immediate, coordinated response stating that authorities should strengthen child protection systems in border areas, improve access to education and mental health services, and provide adequate housing that prioritizes children's needs. The recent deportation of three U.S. citizen children — including one with cancer — to Honduras with their mothers has sparked criticism from human rights advocates. They accuse the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump of deporting children without due process, endangering their lives.
The Star
05-05-2025
- Health
- The Star
Migrant children face fear and lack safety crossing Mexico, study shows
(Reuters) - Migrant children crossing Mexico in hopes of reaching the United States face alarming levels of violence, exclusion and prolonged uncertainty before, during and after their journey, according to a study published on Monday by Save the Children and Plan International. The report, based on 155 interviews conducted between November 2024 and February 2025, found that children fleeing danger at home often do not find the safety and international protection to which they are entitled, but rather new forms of vulnerability that continue to deprive them of their rights. The interviewees were aged between 7 and 16 years old. They came mostly from Mexico, Honduras and Venezuela, but also from Colombia, Guatemala and more distant locations such as Afghanistan and Haiti. The number of unaccompanied children traveling through Mexico to reach the United States has more than doubled in recent years, increasing from 69,488 in 2019 to 137,275 in 2023, driven by rising violence, deepening poverty and climate change-related displacement. "Migrant children are not finding safety when they cross the border into Mexico; they're finding more fear, more waiting, and more lost time," said Reena Ghelani, chief executive of Plan International, a UK-based humanitarian and development organization, in a press release. "No child should find themselves in this situation, especially after enduring such a perilous journey to find safety. They need support now – including protection, access to safe shelter, education and mental health care. We are seeing families so desperate that children are being forced to consider returning to the very places they fled from. That should never be their only option," she said. Plan International and Save the Children called for an immediate, coordinated response stating that authorities should strengthen child protection systems in border areas, improve access to education and mental health services, and provide adequate housing that prioritizes children's needs. The recent deportation of three U.S. citizen children — including one with cancer — to Honduras with their mothers has sparked criticism from human rights advocates. They accuse the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump of deporting children without due process, endangering their lives. (Reporting by Diego Ore in Mexico City; Editing by Leslie Adler)
