File Photo – AFP-Lehtikuva.
A total of 25 non-governmental organisations have demanded that Finland should double its refugee quota.
The organisations pointed out that the world now has more refugees than at any time since the World War II and most of them are in developing countries.
Through raising the refugee quota, Finland can help the most vulnerable people, such as torture victims, persons with disabilities, children, and single mothers, the organisations argued.
Finland’s annual refugee quota has been almost 750 throughout the 21st century. The quota was increased to 1050 in 2014 and 2015, but this year it was reduced back to 750.
Amnesty International, UNICEF, Plan International, the Family Federation of Finland, the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare, and Finn Church Aid are among the organisations that signed the petition.