Christian Aid, 12 other agencies urge U.K. to step up efforts in helping refugees; relocation scheme to cost Britain £500 million

Thirteen refugee and humanitarian agencies have collaborated to urge the United Kingdom to increase its efforts in protecting those who have fled from their respective countries due to war and conflict. They said that Britain "has fallen short of welcoming its fair share of refugees."

In a joint briefing note titled "A Safe Haven? Britain's role in protecting people on the move," the organizations acknowledged the U.K.'s effort in providing assistance to those countries that are hosting refugees. However, they also said that "delivering aid does not absolve the UK of its moral responsibility to offer a safe haven."

The groups have stressed that a huge number of people who ran away from violence, conflict, hardships, and human rights violations are now all over Europe, but they are suffering from the inhumane conditions that they are living in. They said that this is the result of political failure.

The brief was prepared by representatives of Oxfam GB, the British Refugee Council, and IRC-UK, along with Action Aid UK, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Doctors of the World, Freedom from Torture, Islamic Relief, Plan UK, Refugee Action, Scottish Refugee Council, and World Vision.

In a press release, Christian Aid said that among the things that they are urging the government to do are to expand the legal routes to the U.K. which are safe and legal for refugees to take and to make sure that they are given access to an asylum system that is not only humane but also fair and effective. They are also asking for an improvement in the reception at country borders as well as in the conditions within countries hosting the displaced people.

"The UK is trying to pretend that this is someone else's problem, and that refugees and migrants could and should be dealt with elsewhere. But people who are desperate will take huge risks to reach safety," said Maya Mailer, Oxfam's Head of Humanitarian Policy. "The UK needs to accept its moral responsibility to offer a safe haven to the world's poorest and most vulnerable - men, women and children - who have been made homeless by war, violence and disasters."

Meanwhile, the BBC reports that it could cost Britain roughly £589 million to resettle 20,000 Syrians by 2020, as pledged through their Vulnerable Persons Relocation program. Thus far, they have taken in 1,194 people from Syria, 605 of which are below 18 years old.

According to the report, Syrian refugee minister Richard Harrington, in his written reply to Labour's Coventry MP Jim Cunningham's parliamentary question, said that the first year's expenses are going to be paid through the country's overseas budget. However, the program would still need £99m for 2016-2017, £129m for 2017-2018, £149m for 2018-2019, and £83m in 2020-2021. While £129 million has already been allocated, it is not yet known where they would get the money for the remainder of the cost.

"This is a huge figure," said Home Affairs Committee chairman Keith Vaz, as quoted by the BBC. "As the Home Office refuses to provide regular updates on the numbers being resettled, or where they are being placed, there is an unacceptable lack of transparency in the use of these significant funds."

Under the scheme, refugees can stay in the U.K. for five years and then apply to settle there.