CAIRO – Muslims from across east London have raised thousands of pounds to help vulnerable refugee children, donating the money to a children’s charity.

“We’re so grateful to all those who contributed funds to this collection in mosques all over east London,” Lynn Gradwell, Barnado’s charity’s London director, told Ilford Recorder.

“Without the right support, child refugees are in danger of slipping off the radar, falling into the hands of traffickers and being sexually exploited.”

Muslim leaders of Al Falah mosque in Kensington Gardens, Ilford, have been leading a fund raising campaign to help refugees.

Other contributors included Tauheed Masjid and Masjid-E-Hidaya in Manor Park, and Leytonstone Islamic Association and Ashville Road Masjid in Leytonstone.

Receiving the donation, the charity called on the government to make sure support is made available for children who are brought into the UK from refugee camps in Syria.

“Barnardo’s wants to work closely with the government to make sure these children are looked after, and donations such as this really help us to make a difference and adapt to new challenges,” Lynn added.

The mosque efforts were also praised by Barts Health NHS Trust, with head of chaplaincy and bereavement services Yunus Dudhwala highlighting the importance of helping sexually exploited children.

“Many people in our community want to support children who are vulnerable and who could be at risk of being trafficked and sexually exploited,” he said.

“We’d like to work with Barnardo’s to make sure the support is there wherever it’s most needed.”

As the conflict in Syria enters its fifth year, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has released a new report that the number of children affected by the civil war in Syria has more than doubled over the past year.

UNICEF said the child casualty rates were the highest recorded in any recent conflict in the region.

It cited UN figures that at least 10,000 children have been killed in the Syrian war but noted that the real number is probably higher.

The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that more than 136,000 have been killed since a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011.