RRDP is once again heading out to informal camps to document the situation of refugee children sleeping rough around Calais. We will use the evidence to call for effective action by the British and French authorities to resolve this grave child protection issue.
Hundreds of unaccompanied refugee children are sleeping rough around the Calais area, where the former Jungle camp used to be located. This amounts to a critical child protection failure, and effective action by French and British authorities will be required to resolve the situation.
Our experienced researchers will be heading out to Calais to record and document the situation through direct interviews with the unaccompanied minors. Based on this evidence, we will in collaboration with high profile partners call for change by lobbying those with the power to address the situation in a long-term, meaningful way.
In the long term, we hope that the current situation will not repeat itself, as it constitutes a grave child protection issue on European soil. We are providing policymakers with a powerful tool, enabling them to identify specific problem areas and take firm policy action that upholds the human rights of refugees over time. Our research also has the potential to inform the wider public and encourage them to adopt a more nuanced image of refugees, encouraging understanding and kindness.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).