Guest post: "These are the lost children of Europe"

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At last count, 423 unaccompanied children were living in the Jungle camp in Calais.

I have spoken with a number of them on my trips in recent months. Many had reached the camp by themselves; they had been orphaned, separated en route, or sent away by their parents who had paid traffickers. Some I talked to were as young as ten.

These are some of the lost children of Europe; officially, they don't exist.
On Friday, the French government's plan to clear part of the Jungle was approved by the courts. While authorities say around 1000 people will be affected, aid agencies put the figure far higher.

Volunteers in the makeshift women and children's centre in the camp do their best to look after the unaccompanied minors, but there are no NGOs working with them. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has not contacted the centre and neither have government officials.

Conditions in the camp are harsh. I cannot imagine my teen living there. It is cold and wet; the only thing keeping people fed and clothed adequately is the huge volunteer effort. I saw little children playing in waste pits contaminated with industrial waste and human excrement. Sickness spreads quickly through the camp - a measles outbreak was only just averted because Médecins Sans Frontières moved swiftly to run a vaccination programme.

There are frequently clashes between the CRS riot police and a small number of frustrated migrants. They throw stones; the CRS retaliate with tear gas and rubber bullets fired far into the camp. The tear gas floats amongst the family tents, choking the sleeping inhabitants at night. In the Calais Jungle, it seems that human rights do not apply. However, the camp does offer a degree of protection that will now disappear as a result of the eviction order issued to the southern half of the camp. The fear is that they will disperse into many smaller camps across northern France.

I thought Calais was terrible. Then I went to Dunkirk. The camp at Grand Synthe is a living hell. Around 2500 people live there, including many families with young children and small babies. No structures are allowed; tents and wooden pallets have to be snuck in. The mud is indescribable, thick and Somme-like. Inside the tents we saw children sleeping on pallets slowly sinking into the swamp.

In Dunkirk, I helped in a little school for the afternoon. It sees around 30-40 children each week. It consists of an army-type tent, open at the ends, and a floor made of pallets that float on top of the mud. Everything is covered with a layer of dirt. Paper gets damp too quickly and it is impossible to look after resources there, so the small number of amazing teachers who run it - I met British and French people - have to rely on their ingenuity and resilience. The children were wonderful; I was helping six year olds learn their numbers. In all of that mud, damp and cold, wrapped up in coats, chests rattling from infections, they still smiled and laughed and tried to teach me Kurdish.

There is some hope for the Dunkirk children. A new camp is being built by Médecins Sans Frontières. For those who are able to move to it, the conditions will be much better. The Brighton Build shelter project, Hummingbird project and Brighton Bridge are working together to create a new school and family centre in the camp, which you can support here.

This is the humanitarian side of this crisis, which must be acknowledged. I am not looking at politics, I am looking at people – and they need our help.

Considering where many of them came from Tara, it's no surprise they feel mistrustful.

So, would you need telling, unlucky to refuse to go with strangers as a child refugee? Or perhaps would you just go with any nice-looking stranger who invited you out to a restaurant and promised to rescue you from the camp, as was the (apparently serious) suggestion for volunteers to act earlier?

Considering where many of them came from Tara, it's no surprise they feel mistrustful

Example of 'mistrustful' below

tara it would hardly be a 'random stranger' herding them onto a bus...it would be quite obvious they were officials and the (genuine) volunteers should have been encouraging them to go...not making them more afraid.

Quite obvious they were official, eh? That's what my great Aunt Rhonda thought about the "electric board reader" who came in and took her purse. Turned out he had the uniform but that wasn't the same thing.

I am beginning to feel as if we live in parallel universes. You admit that asylum claims take ages, and yet don't think people with legitimate claims might struggle to survive without aid in the meantime, and you think it must be easy for children to recognise 'safe' authorities in a foreign country and distinguish them from predators.

It's not like officials have ever been corrupt, is it? (I expect many of them in the camp are here through successful bribing of border official and similar on the way.) Have you not noticed the care home scandals in the past few years? People who prey on children are still to be found in 2016. They didn't go extinct like dinosaurs in 2015.

There are so many possible explanations for the children's actions before we assume there are Evil Volunteers being Agent Provocateurs. Why are you so hung up on that one?

They're clearly not all like that, springing. Why post it?

The two young sisters travelling to Germany via Greece and Macedonia featured on Newsnight last evening are absolutely haunting me. I can't stop thinking about whether they're ok.

Oh, and I never said "random stranger". I very deliberately said "strangers" and "nice-looking-strangers", because I think those would be a legitimate causes for caution alone.

emilybohemia depends which report/video you read, obviously...
Work began on Monday to clear a shanty town outside Calais used by migrants trying to reach Britain after the French government won a legal battle to dismantle part of the Jungle camp.
A police officer grapples with a woman holding a knife after she threatened to cut her wrist Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images

tara first all the volunteers -people they trusted - would have know whether they were genuine officials or not...so should have done everything in their power to encourage them to get on that bus...for their own good.

A lot of my attitude is because the more I have found out about No Borders the more angry I am ...hopefully you won't try and deny they are in the camps and influencing the migrants there...I think they are on a par with the smugglers ...the lowest of the low. People who feed on others misfortune and misery, the vulnerable for their own ends - the kind of people that make me feel physically sick.
Am I mistaken? Do you know anything about them? Do you support them? Think they are doing good?
I'd be interested to learn the opinion of them from people who have actually had dealings with them...

I didn't see it, Pirate. What was their story?

All I know is that they had been allowed in Macedonia yesterday and were trying to get to Germany emilybohemia

Hopefully they'll be ok pirate. There are a lot being kept back which is really sad.

Yes. The Newsnight report showed the people who were being kept back too.
I don't know why we can't do more at the source of the problem but I guess it's because it's people's lives and not oil that's at stake?

Well, if UK votes to leave the EU, you can all look forward to Calais emptying out since France will then just let them come to the UK. It will be interesting to see how much better UK deals with those children then.

'The world has changed since I was young. It has not grown harder: just more foolish and selfish. I have seen camps like the Jungle before – at the end of the war. But back then, there was a desire among ordinary citizens and their leaders to alleviate the plight of refugees. Today, it is different. The common will to do good, or at least maintain a decent society for all, has vanished. Our politicians – and we, the ordinary people – are ignoring our moral, political and human responsibility to be our brothers’ keepers. In the end, the only thing that separates us from those who live in the Jungle is luck – and any gambler will tell you that this can change at the turn of a card.'

• Henry Leslie Smith, 92, WWII (age 21) on his visit to the Jungle camp

He made similar comments on Jeremy Vine, cutted. The emotion in his voice and how he described how things are worse now, it should be a wake up call. I wish someone would listen.

How will France 'just let them come to the UK'?

Quite brilliant how the argument has been turned 180 degrees though. Leavers want out of Europe so the UK can determine its own border controls but according to the Stayers if the UK votes out France will allow the 'refugees' (tenuous use of the word) to escape over the channel.

The whole argument will become academic when Turkey eventually joins the EU and its population has the right of free movement.

I had hoped that this thread would remain concentrated on the plight of children who are the innocent victims in all of this.

A few of you are desperate to know more about No Borders and it seems that they colour your ability to see past into the humanitarian aspects of helping people, I am happy to say a little of my feelings about them, but I don't have time to get into a protracted discussion. I have a few times now reminded people of the very few spaces left for people in Calais to go to across France, so I don't need to go over that again.

I will say from the outset I am not a No Borders Activist, but I do watch what they say and do on facebook and a little on their website. Like any group of activists they have a wide spectrum of views. Some are simply part of the network because they do not like the way migrants and refugees are treated and want to see better treatment, others at the other end would like to see borders gone (which of course is the premise of the group). Part of the issue is, that there are no specific groups set up for the more moderate end of the spectrum.

My stance is that I wholeheartedly endorse the UNHCR stance

Again with activists there is a wide spectrum as to the sort of action people are willing to take. Most, and I can say that confidently take and encourage peaceful action. Silent protests, linking arms together - that sort of thing. Of course the press never comment on these, they don't make for good telly!

There are a small number who promote a more violent angry sort of protest. I utterly condemn their actions. It is entirely wrong to encourage action where refugees, migrants, police and innocent members of the public get hurt. These people have fled war and violence. I have spoken to many whom have lost family members, sometimes whole families. They don't want to see more violence, they want to live in peace. Violence just increases their trauma further, haven't these people had enough?

And of course, as we see here the actions of some colours peoples perception, they see the violent few, not the peaceful thousands.

The vast majority of volunteers who help in the camp are not No Borders people, they are there on a purely humanitarian drive, to try and ease the misery of those in limbo. I count myself in that category wholeheartedly. I understand that some of you may continue to disagree with what I do, though what I do know is that when there is no humanitarian aid all that happens is that the misery deepens. We can see this across the borders throughout Europe, Calais is but a small part of a very large picture.

alittlebit thank you for acknowledging No borders exist and their aims are not peaceful and are in fact harming rather than helping the migrants. That really is a breath of fresh air on these threads.
Now can you admit not all the people in Calais Jungle are refugees - some are economic migrants? Then we might really make progress...
Oh and a lot of the unaccompanied children are actually older teens...and some have been sent ahead by their families to get a foothold in the UK. And taking them would actually encourage more families to risk the lives of their children in the same way.

I would argue the camp exists on the scale it does partly because of the volunteers. The volunteers are enabling it to exist. Some charities involved have built shelters etc to make it a more desirable place to be, which makes the containers etc less desirable. I believe it is misguided. It encourages more people to come and therefore the people smugglers etc.
I think the best help would be to encourage the genuine refugees to claim asylum in France, go through the legal channels and then -as illustrated by the recent case of the 4 Syrian young men - if they have a case they can enter the UK legally and safely.
And to educate the economic migrants about the reality of living as an illegal immigrant in the UK and encourage them to go back to their countries. I do see the temptations of the West, I understand any money they can sent back will make a difference to their communities and what to us would be a small amount of money could be a lot for them. But there are only a certain number of low skilled jobs, especially illegal ones. They will be facing more competition for work, which will drive the little wages down even further. Helping them in their countries has to be the answer. Help stop there being such a disparity.
Honestly I don't think we have it 'right' in the UK, we also have a massive gap between rich and poor. We have areas where the majority of the existing population struggle to find somewhere to live that they can afford. We have someone on another thread so out of touch with the reality for most people that they think 'most' of us could afford to give away 20-50% of our income and be ok ...have somewhere to live and be able to eat... Increasing the number of the underclass is not going to help bridge that divide.

I personally haven't met any economic migrants, but I suspect there are some in the camp. I am a realistic person. However every single person I have spoken to has fled war, bombings, ISIS, Taliban, (with all of the beheadings, chemical warfare etc that has been going on). In what I say below, please bear in mind that I have no capacity to speak officially because I'm not official, my impressions written below are mostly subjective.

My experience is that in descending order (it may be a little out) is that the distribution of nationalities is as follows:

Afghans - all those I've spoken to have fled because of the Taliban

Sudanese - Every single one I've spoken to is from Darfur where all of course know there is an ongoing genocide. I also have to say that these are the kindest most gentle people I have ever met.

Kurdish Iraqis. - Many of these people fought on our side in the Iraq war. These people are absolutely not safe to remain in Iraq. In danger from both ISIS and the Taliban.

Syrians - These are increasing in number and I have no doubt that they will increase further as Spring arrives. There is obviously no disputing that these are refugees.

Then in much smaller number I have met:

Eritreans - they have had a brutal ongoing civil war.

Pakistanis - I was really puzzled as to why they are there, until I got talking to one recently. His brother had been killed by the Taliban - his parents sent him away to be safe, they have no intention of joining him as it seems that the young men are at most risk.

I will repeat the reasons why some out of the very many refugees there are in Europe would like to go to the UK are one or a combination of the following:

1)They have friends or family who can support them - the asylum process takes a long time.

2)They speak English - easier to resettle if you speak the language

3)They have friends who have applied for asylum in France, not been given any housing, so still remain homeless then several months later are deported. France has one of the worst asylum acceptance records in Europe for some nationalities

4)Many of them believe the UK is somewhere where they would be treated fairly, even if our government is not welcoming. When you see how they are treated in France, with much rightwing violence and the way they have been treated by the French police you would understand why they hope things will be better else. There is a huge historical aspect to this belief too. We spend a lot of time telling them that things won't be better in the UK. None of us want to see them risking lives to try and cross to somewhere that probably won't be any better.

I was told that the definition of a child for the purpose of the census was 15 and under. Yes there are older teens there too, but honestly, when you talk to them they sound just like our kids - first love is football and video games, they miss school, their friends and of course their family. Parents pay people smugglers to stuff thechildren into the boots of cars. Not so they can join them, but just like we did in World War 2 (only we had safe and legal ways to do it) to get them to safety away from horror.

I constantly double check myself - am I helping or am I harming? I truly believe that they are not crossing the seas in little dinghys, walking for weeks or months, just because we are helping them with the most basic of basics. Because there are many smaller camps where there is little to no help, yet still many stay in those and instead they go hungry, stay cold, have no access to medical or legal help. If you saw Dunkirk where there are around 3000 people, mostly Kurdish Iraqis, where there is so very very little help in there in comparison to Calais you would see that it isn't aid that keeps them there, it is hope and desperation. A strange mix really.

I do feel slightly frustrated that people are missing the point that even if we could persuade people to move from the Jungle into French supplied spaces there are still nowhere near enough. There are around 130 spaces left in the containers.

Thanks for your posts, alittle. You have certainly increased my awareness of what is happening to the children there and the circumstances that caused people to flee. x

alittle again thank you for being honest.
I do have to say that (and I have known people in similar circumstances) I hope you are not naive enough to believe everything you are told. You are not likely to find someone who has paid vast sums to be there admit that they are purely economic migrants.
For instance in Pakistan there is no reason why someone couldn't relocate in their own country (I think sometimes we forget how small Britain actually is, a third of the size of Pakistan) and the Taliban only operate in a tiny part of Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan (which is actually smaller than Pakistan)...and Pakistan has a population 180 million - so you could quite easily disappear, people disappear in the Uk in a smaller area with fewer people...they could be safe in their own country - so the question is not why they left their home area but why did they come across Europe? And why choose the UK...
As for the containers ...why are there still spaces?
If they were now full and the centres around France were also full I would be more understanding...but that still isn't the case, is it?

"How will France 'just let them come to the UK'?"

There is currently a UK border control post there in France, assessing who can go on to England and who can't. That is possible because UK is an EU country, like France. If that were not the case, UK would not have a post on French soil, and French border control's responsibility would only be towards their own country, so there would be no obligation to retain them in France. You would have "the Jungle" on UK soil, and we would then see how much better UK deals with these immigrants then.

"The whole argument will become academic when Turkey eventually joins the EU and its population has the right of free movement."

Turkey will never join the EU as we all know, and frankly doesn't want to at this point. Its government as well as population have finally figured out that EU means losing power over one's own legislation & finances, so enthusiasm has waned. Support for EU ascension has also plummeted because Turkey's economy has been growing at about 4% pa these past couple of years doing much better than stagnating EU.

Remember that many people who are fleeing war from the middle east didn't start out as poor - they lost their homes through conflict and so have had the money to move, but nowhere safe to move to where they live.

I am realistic about those from Pakistan, they would in my limited understanding have been better off moving to other parts of their country and they have no chance of attaining asylum in the UK. The community in the Jungle from Pakistan is very small, I would estimate about 70 people. They need to accept reality and try to go home in my opinion.

The containers will only allow in around 50 new people a week. I have no idea why the process is so ridiculously slow. It is so stupidly frustrating. They will be full soon.

Many of the other places offered by the French authorities will actually close on March 31st - they are winter respite centres. As for the other places, well, as explained before there is very little trust, partly because in the past, (there is no evidence of this happening now) they were promised buses to safe places and instead were deported. This has left a legacy of mistrust.

The most obvious reason though as to why many wont go to places around France is because they want to go to the UK for reasons stated before. There is no chance if they move further into France. Realistically obviously I know that there is very little hope of them being allowed into the UK where ever they are, other than those who have a legal right. Most have given up trying to get on trucks or through the tunnel, the increasing security has been very successful in that respect.

I must state that I feel desperately sorry for the lorry drivers. It must be hell for them going through Calais.