France Is Struggling to Handle 3,000 Migrants Living in a Garbage Dump
— by Elian Peltier
More than 3,000 migrants are living in what used to be a garbage dump in the northern port city of Calais, France. Observers say these migrants’ living conditions are worse than those in refugee camps in war zones.
After they fled countries like Syria or Afghanistan by land and sea to seek refuge in Europe, migrants often land in Calais, the closest city to the U.K. border.
But the port town has little to offer the migrants who are now trapped in slums that people call “the Jungle.”
All of them reached Calais with the hope to cross the border, on another perilous journey. But the situation in Calais has also become alarming.
What does life in the Jungle look like?
The Jungle used to be home to a garbage dump, but living conditions there have not improved despite the change in tenants. Migrants from Syria, Eritrea, Afghanistan and others live in tents and under tarpaulins. The camp has no garbage cans and half-burned garbage piles are littered throughout.
Calais was initially seen as a transition point for migrants, but the Jungle is now a settlement for people with nowhere else to go: crossing has become harder as security forces increased.
As more migrants settle in, they’ve even built small food shops and places of worship.
But with so many people packed into one place, it’s become difficult to maintain order in the Jungle. One Sunday in June, fighting erupted between the Sudanese and Eritrean migrants in the camp and 150 tents were burned in the violence.
Two days later, the police relocated 200 migrants illegally squatting in downtown Calais to the Jungle, making the situation even more difficult to control.
Some migrants dare to cross the English Channel with hopes of finding a job in the U.K. or reconnecting with families there.
How do migrants get across the channel?
Although the U.K. is a member of the E.U., it did not sign the Schengen Agreement, which means that you need a passport to cross its borders.
So a Syrian migrant who crossed into Europe illegally would need to finish the rest of their journey illegally if he or she wants to settle in the U.K.
Migrants attempt to cross the English Channel in two ways:
- They try to hop on trucks that cross the channel by ferry or through the underwater tunnel.
- Or, they can climb on top of the train that travels underwater.
For many, the crossing has proven to be a fatal journey.
Since June, six migrants have died trying to cross the channel. In mid-July, a pregnant Eritrean woman lost her child after she fell off the top of a train. Migrants must also be wary of the 1,200 French policemen who patrol the town.
Why the sudden increase in migrants?
Calais has a long history with migrants, but the situation was manageable until recently. Migrants first made their way to the port city in the late 1990s and lived in a warehouse that used to be managed by the Red Cross.
The French government closed the warehouse camp in 2002, forcing the migrants in Calais to squat elsewhere. By 2005, there were about 300 migrants in Calais, and local NGOs were able to provide aid.
But the situation got worse when thousands fled the civil war in Syria, oppressive rule in Eritrea and conflict in Sudan. The migrant population in Calais skyrocketed to 1,800 by the end of 2014 and 3,000 in June.
How did the French government respond to this?
The government opened a shelter behind the Jungle in April to provide one free meal per migrant everyday. Around 3 p.m., hundreds of migrants begin to line up, waiting for hours to be served. Temperatures rose to about 104 degrees in July, but migrants continued to wait in the heat.
At night, the shelter provides sleeping quarters for 100 women and children, but there is not enough space for everyone. Many mothers and their children must remain in the Jungle. A doctor spends three hours a day at the shelter to treat infections and small wounds.
The government has also installed 20 restrooms and a few dozen water taps, but these accommodations struggle to meet the needs of 3,000 migrants. Garbage containers and public lights have yet to be installed in the camp.
What about the NGOs?
Four NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders, launched a two-month emergency humanitarian operation in June. That came after the fight that left 150 tents burned.
These organizations provide health care, shelter, food and sanitation.
“We decided to act when we realized the living condition for migrants was better in some Lebanese or African camps,” an official from Doctors Without Borders said.
“France is the sixth biggest economy in the world and they can’t take care of 3,000 migrants?” Jean-François Corty, head of emergency operation at Doctors without Borders, said. “The government should be ashamed that NGOs have become substitute of the state.”
What will happen to the migrants?
Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart and other French officials are expecting more support from the U.K. since many migrants only came to Calais to cross the channel.
The biggest NGOs operating in Calais might leave the Jungle by the end of summer. If that happens, the local NGOs will be left to handle the situation themselves again.
What will happen next is uncertain, and officials and NGOs will then have to figure out how the migrants will survive the winter in the Jungle.
Brief contributed by Elian Peltier.
More Information:
- The Guardian: ‘At night it’s like a horror movie’ — inside Calais’s official shantytown
- The Economist: No milk, less honey
- The Guardian: Sangatte Refugee camp
