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Save the Children Calls on Key to Have a Change of Heart

Save the Children Calls on John Key to Have a Change of Heart Over Government’s Stance on Refugees.

Save the Children is calling on Prime Minister John Key to have a change of heart over the government’s refusal to consider allowing some refugees to New Zealand under an emergency intake.

To show just what a desperate situation it is for many Syrians, Save the Children has released a video. http://bit.ly/syriaviralvideo

“While the video imposes the reality for many in Syria on to a small town in England, that town could just as well be any town in New Zealand,” says Save the Children New Zealand Chief Executive Heather Hayden.

“We’re trying to show the reality for many ordinary people in Syria, who are living in an emergency situation and are asking the government to accept a minimum of 200 refugees into the country.

While this is a drop in the ocean, it will send a strong signal to other countries that this is a global issue that requires global leadership. This is our chance to take a leadership position given our role on the UN Security Council,” says Ms Hayden.

Currently there are 50 million refugees in the world. We have not seen this level of displacement of people since WWII.

These Syrian families face an extreme choice. To return to a war zone or risk death as they are smuggled into Europe.

“Enabling a small number of people to escape their tragic situation is well within the resources of a country like New Zealand. All we need is the government’s will to make this happen.

If we don’t respond to this crisis there will be a whole generation of children lost to this war which has been raging for more than four years,” says Ms Hayden.

ENDS

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