Activists: UK, France Violated Refugee Child Human Rights While Closing Refugee Camp in Calais

By teleSUR

29 October 16

 

Last week, UNHCR voiced concerns that lone children in Calais were at risk of trafficking unless they were adequately supported during relocation.

ctivists have accused the French and U.K. governments of committing human rights abuses against dozens of refugee minors who were abandoned by authorities in Calais and forced onto an industrial estate following the violent eviction of the camp, often referred to in France as “the Jungle."

“The poor management of both French and U.K. authorities put vulnerable minors in danger,” Laura Campbell, an activist with charity British Calais Action told Sputnik on Friday.

The international press report that at least 50 teenagers were removed from the camp Wednesday after they were transported to a reception center, where they were going to be assessed for asylum and/or reunification with families in the U.K. However, this never happened.

Last week, UNHCR, the U.N.'s refugee agency, voiced concern that lone children in Calais were at risk of trafficking unless they were adequately supported during relocation.

Instead, riot police armed with shields, tear gas and tasers forced the group to enter a side street on an industrial estate and since then, the teenagers have reportedly been sleeping outside in cold temperatures.

The French government pushed ahead with plans to close the camp Monday and promised to resettle the camp's residents around the country. On Tuesday, demolition workers began tearing down the camp, where between 6,000-8,000 migrants and refugees including an estimated 1,200 children were living. Under 2,000 of the camp's residents have been relocated so far, leaving the rest in limbo.

The eviction led to violent clashes between riot police and migrants and refugees, who defended themselves with stones and other projectiles. The infamous camp has become a symbol of Europe’s struggle to respond to its biggest refugee crisis since World War II, as people continue to flee conflict-ridden zones across Africa and the Middle East.

To add to this, the crisis shows no sign of abating as 2016 has become the deadliest year on record for refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe, the United Nations said Wednesday.

The somber milestone was reached despite a significant decline in refugees crossing this year compared to 2015. Last year, more than a million people reached Europe via the Mediterranean, but crossings so far this year remain below 330,000. According to the UNHCR, this means that for one death for every 269 arrivals last year, in 2016 the likelihood of dying has spiraled to one in 88.