a report denounces the “degrading treatment” of migrants
A new report from Human Rights Watch denounces the “degrading treatment” suffered by migrants in the Calais region.
Report
Almost daily police harassment, massive and repeated expulsions, thwarted humanitarian aid. In his new report (October 7) entitled “Inflicting distress: The degrading treatment of migrant children and adults in the north of France”, the NGO Human Rights Watch points to the policy implemented in the Calais region. The observation, five years after the dismantling of the “Jungle”, is overwhelming and the situation remains very complicated around the city.
According to humanitarian associations present on the spot, around two thousand people, including at least 300 unaccompanied children, were living in camps in Calais and its surroundings in mid-2021.
Police harassment
Denounced for several years, police harassment also affects migrants and the associations that come to their aid. According to the report, between January 2020 and June 2021, “routine” evictions targeted most camps in Calais almost every other day. Tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins are confiscated, migrants finding themselves in the most total destitution.
On the other hand, the humanitarian associations which provide daily aid to migrants are targeted, for example, by municipal decrees prohibiting the distribution of food and water in the city center of Calais.
Inefficiency
The issue of sheltering is also highlighted in the report. The shelters justify the many expulsions. Except that the shelter is only provided for a short time and emergency accommodation in France is overwhelmed.
In addition, this summer the number of irregular Channel crossings has exploded. Bénédicte Jeannerod, France director of Human Rights Watch, points to the ineffectiveness of the policy put in place: “If the objective is to discourage migrants from regrouping in the north of France, these policies are a blatant failure, and cause serious suffering”.
Human Rights Watch recommends that the Pas-de-Calais and Nord prefectures, as well as the departmental authorities, work together to offer accommodation alternatives and solutions to better support people in their migratory journey.
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