When you’re asked to picture a jungle, I am sure the last place you would imagine is a jungle in Northern France. To be more precise, the port town of Calais, an important link to the United Kingdom. Calais, until last October, was home to "the Jungle", the name given to the migrant and refugee encampment in the port of Calais, which was home to roughly 6,000-10,000 men, women and children seeking refuge. The name the Jungle is said to derive from Pashto speaking migrants and refugees who referred to it as "dzhangal" which translates into "forest". The name can also be seen as a famous reference to the appalling living conditions, with little access to the basic necessities such as running water and food. 

Since 1991, the camp has existed in various forms, with the French police trying to close it on numerous occasions. It was originally set up by the Red Cross and known as "Camp Sangatte", but was consequently moved due to overcrowding. Over the past 15 years, there have been multiple attempts to close it by the French police, however, their attempts have never fully succeeded in closing the camp permanently, with it’s inhabitants returning shortly after each "closure". The refugees and migrants originate from war torn countries such as Iraq, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries seeking a safer life for themselves and their families, with many already having family in Europe.  

In early 2016, French President Francois Hollande announced that by the end of 2016 the Jungle would be shut down permanently with refugees being moved to several refugee centres around France. Hollande's motives for this announcement have been questioned, with suggestions being made that it was a bid to keep him in favour with the French public as the 2017 French elections are imminent. However, what does this mean for the estimated 8,000 refugees? Furthermore, what does this mean for the child refugees without parents in the camp?

In late October 2016, the refugees were transferred to one of the 160 "Welcome and and Orientation Centres" (CAOs) across France. They will stay in these centres for up to 4 months, while authorities investigate each individual case. The refugees will be each given a set period of time in which they need to claim French asylum or they will deported back to their country of origin. You may ask why the refugees are not claiming asylum in France instead of risking their lives travelling to get to the United Kingdom. The answer for them is many of the refugees already have family members in United Kingdom and are desperately trying to reunite with them, and the UK is seen to have better benefits for those seeking refuge and therefore better opportunites in the future then France can offer. An estimated thousand single children travellers are the only group of refugees who will remain in the camp, moving into different accommodation on the site. This is due to fear for their safety if moved with the adult refugees.

Unaccompanied children seeking refugee is a huge policial and humanitarian problem within the whole of Europe, with an estimated 88.245 having applied for aslyum in the European Union, including 3.045 in the UK (*). These children are especially at risk from people traffickers who prey on vulnerable travellers and can easily take advantage of them. These risks include vulnerability to sexual violence, exploitation and human trafficking. The future for the unaccompanied children in the Jungle still remains unknown with authorities lacking funding resources and the political will to help place these children into appropriate care.

The closure of the camp was said to be permanent, however, with the new year only just starting, there have been rumblings that once again refugees are setting up a camp near and around the French port area. According to reports in the British press, 2017 has seen 6 settlements in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais area emerge since the closure of the Jungle. These new encampments are close to motorways and services, with many refugees risking their lives by attempting to cross the border into the United Kindgom hiding in the back of lorries and other large vehicles. It is concerning that gang trafficking type activity will become bigger in this area with people traffickers targeting refugees in these camps.

Although the original Jungle itself looks inoperative for now, this has not stopped these smaller encampments emerging in the surrounding areas, proving that the efforts by the French and British Governments have not been entirely successful. There are thousands of people travelling into Europe everyday, seeking asylum and refuge, and corrective measures and solutions across the whole of the European Union, including the United Kingdom, are desperately needed. All countries need to allow a greater influx of refugees, the majority of which are running away from persecution, civil wars and dreadful future prospects. In conclusion, this humanitarian crisis will not go away by simply turning a blind eye and ignoring the problem; the time to help is now, to avoid a greater tragedy unfolding. 

(*) Statistics taken from the report “Children in Crisis: unaccompanied migrant children in the EU.” Published by the House of Lords, page 3.