Unaccompanied minors from Calais are now forced to stay in accommodation centres with other adult refugees, found out the Independent as part of their Supporter Porgramme investigation. There are still hundreds of children in and around Calais, who are sleeping rough, are unable to access food and water, waiting to be able to cross the border to the UK one day. The accomodations designed specifically for this vulnerable group are now full and staying with other adult refugees puts them into an immense risk of abuse and smuggling. In August 250 unacommpanied minors were reported in Calais, the real number is likely to be much higher, and the youngest ones were only 11 years old.
“There are continuous evictions, big ones. Minors are never informed beforehand and not given the possibility to decide if they want to access a centre for minors. They find themselves having to move their stuff and deal with the police without being able to explain that they’re children,” Claudia Tomarchio, project manager for Refugee Youth Service
As winter draws nearer and the living conditions become more and more unbearable in Calais the number of Channel crossings has increased as well with 7000 people attempting the dangerous journey so far this year.
“I’m sleeping on the streets. I wake up and my body is in pain. I have a headache, but there’s no medicine. There’s nowhere else to go,” Emmanuel, 17, fled from Sudan
Besides the hostile living conditions, unaccompanied minors are facing police aggression as well. With the Dubs Amendment ending in May, there are less and less legal routes to the UK for these children and when the Brexit transition ends on 31st December family reunification will become more difficult as well.