Thousands of refugee women and children stranded in ‘unsafe’ countries because of UK failures

Watchdog says ineffective family reunion processes increases ‘risk that vulnerable people will resort to dangerous journeys’

Almost 8,000 people are stranded outside the UK in potential danger (Getty)

Thousands of refugee women and children are stuck in “unsafe situations” in countries including Afghanistan and Syria because of failures by the British government, a watchdog has found.

Some desperate families are resorting to “irregular” routes, such as small boat crossings, to reach relatives in the UK because of huge delays to family reunion processes.

A damning report published on Tuesday said that almost 8,000 people – the vast majority of whom are women and children – are stranded outside the UK in potential danger, while their loved ones suffer waits of up to two years to bring them to safety.