Fate of child migrants uncertain before France demolishes Jungle camp
Updated: 2016-10-24 09:33
(Agencies)
|
||||||||
CALAIS, France - Aid workers accused France and Britain on Sunday of failing more than 1,300 unaccompanied child migrants whose future remained uncertain just a day before the French government begins dismantling the camp where they are holed up.
Charities operating in the makeshift camp dubbed the "Jungle" near Calais have criticised the slow pace at which British and French officials have processed the papers of children fleeing countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea.
The UK government has prioritised children and youths who can claim family ties in Britain and on Friday a French Interior Ministry official said they were still negotiating over hundreds more with no such connections.
"All this should have been done a long time ago," Francois Guennoc from the charity Auberge des Migrants said.
Allaodil, a Sudanese boy who says he is 14, was wandering on Sunday through the Jungle's garbage-strewn mud alleyways, shivering underneath a blanket.
"My brother has been in the United Kingdom, in Glasgow, for three years and has a job there," said Allaodil in faltering English, adding that he wanted to join his elder sibling.
He said the British authorities were aware of his case but still did not know whether he would be granted asylum in Britain or forced to relocate in France.
- Fate of child migrants uncertain before France demolishes Jungle camp
- Former Japan SDF official believed to have blown himself up, injures 3
- Dogs rock Halloween parade in NY
- Somali pirates free 26 hostages held since 2012
- At least 172 inmates break out of Haitian prison
- US vows response once DPRK launches nuclear weapon successfully
- Through the lens: Under the blue sky of Tibet
- Military blind date attracts hundreds young women
- Britain's Red Arrows arrive at Zhuhai for China air show
- Villagers build ladder on cliff with 1,500 steel pipes
- Colorful leaves adorn Great Wall in Beijing
- Ten photos from around China: Oct 14-20
- Veterans mark 80th anniv. of end of Red Army's Long March
- Road with 24 bends zigzags in Southwest China
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
Anti-graft campaign targets poverty relief |
Cherry blossom signal arrival of spring |
In pictures: Destroying fake and shoddy products |
China's southernmost city to plant 500,000 trees |
Cavers make rare finds in Guangxi expedition |
Cutting hair for Longtaitou Festival |
Today's Top News
'Zero Hunger Run' held in Rome
Trump outlines anti-terror plan, proposing extreme vetting for immigrants
Phelps puts spotlight on cupping
US launches airstrikes against IS targets in Libya's Sirte
Ministry slams US-Korean THAAD deployment
Two police officers shot at protest in Dallas
Abe's blame game reveals his policies failing to get results
Ending wildlife trafficking must be policy priority in Asia
US Weekly
Geared to go |
The place to be |