The Fate Of Calais Refugee Children in The Hands Of France and UK

French authorities have been demolishing the squalid migrant camp in Calais known as the “Jungle” since the start of the week. Thousands of migrants and refugees fleeing war and poverty have already been bussed from the camp on France’s northern coast to the 450 temporary reception centres across France. However, nearly 1,500 children hoping to reach the United Kingdom (UK) remain stranded in Calais while France and UK dispute their responsibilities with regards to these refugees.

While France urges the UK to accept a greater number of unaccompanied children awaiting asylum in Calais, the UK has criticised France for not doing more for the refugees following the closure of the Jungle.

“Any child eligible or not in the secure area of the camp should be cared for and safeguarded by the French authorities,” British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said.

Bernard Cazeneuve, French Minister of the Interior responded saying the UK should

“quickly execute its responsibilities to take in these minors, who hope to come to the United Kingdom. This is the best way to give them the protection they are due.”

So far, the UK has accepted only 274 of the children from Calais who have been living in temporary lodging in shipping containers. However it is still unclear how many more children will be accepted by the UK . French officials described negotiations with London as being “very tough”, but France aims to eventually transfer at least 600 children to the UK.

According to the ABC, Mayor of Calais, Natacha Bouchart is sceptical of the ability of authorities to implement lasting solutions in a short span of time when she has been unable to apply successful solutions over the past three years. She believes that adult and children migrants will continue to arrive in Calais with hopes of reaching the UK.

Many of the children in Calais have family ties in the UK, but must wait for British authorities to decide if they are eligible to claim asylum under the European Union’s Dublin Regulation. This law enables the reunification of refugees with relatives living in the European Union. On the other hand, the large number of children who do not have British family ties can only enter the UK under the Dubs amendment, passed in May this year, which allows 3,000 unaccompanied refugee children into the country. However, British authorities face great difficulties implementing these regulations because it is often impossible to determine whether a child can meet the refugee criteria since medical age testing lacks sufficient accuracy and many children come from countries without registered births and proper documentation.

Amidst the demolition of the Jungle and waiting for the processing of asylum, fear and frustration has been growing for the unaccompanied children. Omair, 15, had been living in the Jungle for six months after fleeing from Afghanistan alone when he lost his family to a bomb attack. He said

“I’m worried. I’m worried about my life, what’s happening. I have an uncle from my mother’s side in England. I want to be with my family. We were six of us in the family, but then I lost them all in a bomb attack, and now I want to live with my cousins. I have the right to live with my family.”

The Jungle, once Europe’s biggest refugee camps, has become a symbol of Europe’s failure to effectively respond to the unceasing migration crisis. The livelihoods of the 1,451 unaccompanied minors now depend on the ability of France and Britain to come to a swift agreement that allows both countries to partake in the responsibility of providing a safe and secure home for the refugees.

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