WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Monday, French authorities began dismantling the Calais camp, relocating its inhabitants to facilities across France and to the United Kingdom.
“Dozens of children were reportedly unable to register and get their official wristbands from the authorities before the registration closed,” the release on Thursday stated. “This kind of situation is exactly what exposes children to traffickers and smugglers, and puts them in dangerous situations without food, shelter and any support.”
Volunteers reported that children were escorted off the premises by police for not having a wristband, leading some to sleep in exposed, cold conditions, the UNICEF committees’ release asserted.
The French and UK group called on their respective governments to guarantee the protection and best interests of every child who had been at Calais, the release stated.
Since 2015, Calais has been home to a large migrant camp that became known as “the Jungle” due to its squalor and overcrowding. About 8,000 migrants from the Middle East and North Africa arrived at the camp, which was not far from the English Channel Tunnel, in hopes of crossing into the United Kingdom.
