Obstacles to protection Photo: © Piotr Malecki (Panos) Not safe Refugees’ families often have to cross borders to lodge a family reunion application at their nearest British embassy, sometimes putting their lives in peril. Over half of applicants left behind and examined by a British Red Cross study in 2014 were at risk of violence, torture or harassment while applying for family reunion. Not for everyone Adult refugees have a legal right, under UK and international law, to be reunited with their children and partner, if they are still overseas. But children over 18 cannot join their parents in the UK, and refugee children are not allowed to sponsor their parents to join them in the UK. Not simple Ninety-five per cent of people we asked who used our family reunion service thought it would be very difficult to apply for family reunion without legal support. The Government should fund complex family reunion cases and make the application form easier to understand and complete. Not affordable Many refugees cannot afford to exercise this right because they cannot afford legal help. Since April 2013, legal aid funding has not been available for family reunion in England and Wales.