Emily Foster

4 June 2019

Our London team played a significant role in providing the opportunity for vulnerable worldwide street-connected children to the UK to take part in the 2019 SCCWC Cricket World Cup at the highly regarded Lords Cricket Ground in London. In the run up to the ICC World Cup, the event united children aged 13-17years to play in their own international cricket tournament whilst raising the awareness of the issues street children around the world. The event brought together 10 national teams comprising of equal numbers of girls and boys passionately representing their countries. Participating teams included Bangladesh, India, West Indies, Nepal and Tanzania amongst others. Young people were also involved in a General Assembly where they recounted their experiences of living on the street and talking about issues such as child marriage, sexual abuse, violence, sanitation and health to make recommendations to their respective governments to help improve the rights and lives of street children worldwide.

Due to the complexities of UK immigration faced by young people who have never held any form of legal identity, LDS solicitors spent over six months pro-bono working with Street Child United, and handled visas for the 80 street-connected children. This UK visa process instigated the need to obtain formal documents for each participant, to establish their identity and the ability to participate. LDS advised on visa eligibility requirements as well as the procedure in each participating country and supporting documents required. Lawyers checked online application forms, making supporting legal representations to represent the both the children and charity’s unique circumstances and how they satisfied the strict requirements of the Immigration Rules. Particular attention was required in relation to alternatives to having to obtain parental consent as many of the young people either are no longer in touch with their parents or are under the care of local authorities/charities. The firm also liaised directly with senior level Home Office representatives and at the relevant overseas posts to facilitate a coordinated approach and expedite the processing of applications.

“We were delighted to be involved in the SCCWC. It is a wonderful charity providing an important platform to raise awareness of the rights of street children all over the world. The process of getting UK visas involved the complex and challenging task of obtaining formal ID documentation for many of the children and it is wonderful that they have now been provided with such documents which will assist them in the future. We are really pleased to see this has created conversations with the respective governments of each team about the obstacles street-connected children globally.”