Amnesty International has accused the UK of shirking its responsibilities towards refugees and has called on the Home Secretary to rethink Britain’s response to the migrant crisis.

Ten countries, accounting for just 2.5 per cent of global GDP, are sheltering 56 per cent of the world’s 21 million refugees, according to a report published on Tuesday.

The rights group criticised the wealthiest countries for showing “a near absence of leadership and responsibility” while the refugee crisis escalates.

It said the UK hosts less than one per cent of the world’s refugees and called on Home Secretary Amber Rudd to rethink aspects of the UK’s response, which it said were having a “disastrous” impact on refugees in the UK and abroad.

More than 6,000 refugees saved and nine dead in single day of Mediterranean rescue missions

The report highlights the contrast in the number of refugees from Syria taken by its neighbours and by other countries with similar populations.

The UK has taken fewer than 8,000 Syrian refugees since the country’s civil war began in 2011, while Jordan, which has a population almost 10 times smaller than the UK and just 1.2 per cent of its GDP, hosts more than 655,000 Syrian refugees.

(Statista)

Jordan has taken more than 2.7 million refugees in total, followed by Turkey with 2.5 million, Pakistan 1.6 million, and Lebanon more than 1.5 million, as the chart by Statista shows.

The remaining six nations were Iran, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad.

Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Show all 7 1 /7 Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The Solidarity With Refugees group said Saturday’s protest aimed to “show our Government and the world that Britain is ready to welcome more refugees”. Rex Features Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis People march through central London as they take part in a protest rally organised by Solidarity with Refugees in a bid to urge the Government to take more action on the migrant crisis Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The protest comes days before world leaders meet to discuss crisis at UN General Assembly Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Demonstrators made their way from Park Lane to Parliament Square in London on Saturday afternoon Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Marchers chanted “refugees are welcome here” and waved banners reading “no-one is illegal” and “let’s help people” Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The march was supported by charities and groups including the Red Cross, Asylum Aid, Save the Children, Hope Not Hate, Oxfam and the UN Refugee Agency Rex Features Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis In the wake of Alan’s death, David Cameron pledged to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees in the UK over the coming five years but there have been additional calls to re-home those who have already reached Europe, as well as asylum seekers coming from other conflict zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan Rex Features

Kate Allen, director of Amnesty UK, said: “The new Home Secretary must reassess the disastrous impact the UK’s refusal to share responsibility for refugees is having both domestically and internationally. The whole system needs a compassion overhaul.

“It’s disgraceful that the UK hosts less than one per cent of the world’s refugees when our size and prosperity mean we should do so much more. Desperate families are forced into the hands of traffickers precisely because countries like ours have pulled up the drawbridge. Smaller, poorer neighbouring countries are left to try and cope, and when they can’t, more people are forced to try to move on, seeking a basic level of safety.

“Amber Rudd should start by allowing refugees with relatives already in the UK to be reunited with each other here. Women, men and children are sleeping in tents in the mud across the world, desperate for any opportunity to join parents, siblings and other family in the UK.”

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Amnesty has called on all countries to take a fair proportion of the world’s refugees based on criteria such as wealth, population and unemployment.

The rights group singled out Canada, which has taken in nearly 30,000 Syrian refugees since November 2015, as an example of how countries can resettle large numbers of refugees.

A Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to resettling vulnerable refugees directly from the region to ensure we target our help at those most in need, deterring people from attempting perilous journeys and preventing criminal gangs from profiting from human trafficking.

"We have committed to resettling 20,000 Syrian refugees through our Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme over the course of this parliament and we are on track to achieve this.

"We will also bring 3,000 individuals to the UK from the Middle East and North Africa over the same period under the Vulnerable Children's Resettlement Scheme.