Children Refugees During The 1930's Kindertransports Analysis

Syrian refugees flocking into the United Kingdom and European border have inspired international discussions on humanitarian relief, support efforts, and how these efforts are managed and prioritized. Through a comparative analysis of the UK’s response to children refugees during the 1930’s Kindertransports to that of children refugees during the 2010’s Syrian crisis, it becomes evident that humanitarian relief was and continues to be prevalent when the emphasize rest on children’s lives. This prevalence comes in spite of the rise of right-wing jargon or anti-Semitism, the formulating of Brexit or the threat of another European war, and governmental attempts to cap refugee quotas. Moreover, the legacy of the Kindertransports in the UK continues
Using primary documents from government records of the Kindertransport compared to newspaper articles on the UK’s response to Syrian children refugees, a comparative analysis of these two time periods reveal several points. First, it illustrated the idea that children are central drivers in provoking humanitarian relief decisions and advocacy to the general public. While further displaying how the memory of the Kindertransports continue to symbolize British acceptance, need for current refugee child relief, and inspire legislation.
1938 marks the beginning of a 9-month rescue mission to save predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Europe. This rescue included children from Nazi Germany and occupied Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. In total this transport saved over 10,000 children. By analyzing the discourse used in advocating for this program, groups such as Save the Children, reveal how ideas of children safety encourage humanitarian efforts. Zahra’s The Lost Children explore this concept of children being a mobilizing factor in relief efforts. Zahra looks at the psychological
In 2016, Lord Alf Dubs supported and pushed an amendment to the Immigration Act. This Dubs Amendment would constitute Section 67 of the Immigration Act and offered unaccompanied refugee children safe passage to Britain. This amendment, initially rejected in the House of Commons, later passed and propsed the acceptance of 3,000 refugee children. Lord Dubs himself came to the UK as a child on the Kindertransports, fleeing Nazi persecution in Prague. The Kindertransport legacy was at the heart of the amendment and shows its prevalence and legacy in Great Britain today. Unfortunately, In February 2017, the Home Office abandoned the plan and allowed just 350 unaccompanied children refugees from Syria and elsewhere to come to the