Human Rights-based Plan Needed for Unaccompanied Children Migrants from Calais – Immigrant Council of Ireland
The Immigrant Council of Ireland is calling for a human rights-based plan to be put in place in advance of the demolition of the Calais migrant camp. It is estimated there are approximately 1,200 unaccompanied children currently living in the camp.
Commenting on the situation in Calais, Brian Killoran, CEO of the Immigrant Council of Ireland, said: “Demolition of the camp in Calais is expected to begin in the coming week, and yet there is no plan in place to guarantee the safety of the estimated 6,500 men, women and children who will be losing what, for them, has had to pass. It is a desperate state of affairs that the international community is standing by as thousands of people are being forced to move on from the camp, but to ignore the fact that there are more than a thousand children without family in the camp facing an unclear future is unacceptable, and we can do better.
“The discovery this week of four migrants in a shipping container in Wexford, including a three-year-old girl, is an indictment of how European governments have treated the men, women and children fleeing violence and fear to date, and reflects the experience of our staff who visited the camp in Calais earlier this year and heard of daily attempts of migrants to get on to trains and trucks. The Irish government must take direct action here – the recent commitment to take in only twenty lone children this year shows just how far we are from a humanitarian response to the extent of the crisis.”
“These minors are at extreme risk of exploitation and trafficking, and a humanitarian response must be put in place to ensure that these minors are transported safely from the camp, and given safe and secure accommodation until their fate is further decided. We are calling on the Irish and European governments to remember that we are talking about children who are alone, having survived traumatic experiences and being left in inhumane conditions without access to formal education. Action needs to be taken to ensure they will be protected from any further risks facing them.”
Update on Mediterranean
The Immigrant Council of Ireland are today also releasing their latest round-ups of statistics on the forced migration crisis in the Mediterranean.
Over 3,600 people have lost their lives in 2016 crossing the Mediterranean to seek refuge in Europe, an increase of 147 in the past two weeks since the Immigrant Council of Ireland released their most recent bulletin.
The statistics released by the Immigrant Council of Ireland include:
- 3,649 people have been reported dead / missing.
- At least 600 children have died trying to reach Europe this year.
- There have been 338,342 arrivals to Europe so far in 2016.
Commenting on the statistics, Brian Killoran, Chief Executive of the Immigrant Council, said: “Since we issued the first of our bulletins on the forced migration crisis in the Mediterranean just two weeks ago, a further 147 people have lost their lives.
“We cannot forget that those we are talking about in the camps and risking their lives on the Mediterranean are there out of necessity, and we know most would return home if they could. Whether in fear of their lives or the safety of their loved ones, they are in need of real help – we cannot continue to turn a blind eye to this crisis.”
ENDS