Many migrants live in the deplorable conditions of the Calais “jungle” in northern France, waiting to be granted refugee status or to move to other countries. However, as Francois Hollande announced in September, the dismantling of this camp is planned for “the end of the year”, leaving only a few weeks for the local authorities to find a home for roughly 8200 migrants. However, according to Jacques Toubon, former Minister of Justice, “the system for relocating and sheltering unaccompanied minors is yet to be operational”. Indeed, there are nearly 1,000 minors in the slum, of which the majority are unaccompanied. Since their age does not allow them to apply for asylum in France, they would instead be covered by child welfare, and those with family in the United Kingdom (between 20 and 25%) could be sent. According to Bernard Cazeneuve, “conditions allowing isolated minors to be sheltered in good conditions” are still the subject of debate among French decision makers. But the end of 2016 and therefore the complete dismantling of the “jungle” is fast approaching, and it becomes more than imperative to find a solution.

©Phillipe Huguen/AFP