Source : www.helprefugees.org.uk
Auteurs :
- Benjamin Hunter
- Rosie Pope
Date : 28 novembre 2016
Présentation :
« We have commissioned a report on the fate of the children formally living in the ‘Jungle’. We must say a big thanks to the report authors Benjamin Hunter and Rosie Pope who visited 12 French state-run accommodation centres for unaccompanied minors across France.
The report finds that the Home Office interview process has been marred with confusing misinformation and a consistent lack of information provided by the Home Office to both the accommodation centre staff and unaccompanied minors regarding their transfer to the UK.
As a result of what they see as the ‘hopelessness’ of their situation, minors are experiencing depression, mental distress, and are self-harming. Many minors are choosing to leave their accommodation centres. »
Communiqué de Presse :
« Misinformation and a lack of information from the Home Office is exacerbating the psychological distress of unaccompanied minors and driving them to leave their accommodation centres a new report by Help Refugees finds.
Between 5th and 19th November 2016, report authors Benjamin Hunter and Rosie Pope visited 12 French state-run accommodation centres for unaccompanied minors, allacrossFrance. There they talked withboth minors and centre staff, and witnessed the process by which the UK Home Office is transferring minors to the UK.
This report finds that while the quality of amenities, provision of food and activities provided by staff in these centres is generally to a good standard, access to psychological support for minors is worryingly deficient.In these accommodation centres, they met with minors while they were waiting for their interviews with the UK Home Office and after they had been interviewed.
This report finds that throughout this process there has been confusing misinformation and a consistent lack of information provided by the Home Office to both the accommodation centre staff and unaccompanied minors regarding their transfer to the UK.
As a result of what they see as the ‘hopelessness’ of their situation,minors are experiencing depression, mental distress, and are self-harming.Many minors are choosing to leave their accommodation centres and return to trying to reach the UK by alternate means. After leaving their accommodation centres, minors fall outside child protection mechanisms and are, therefore, in danger.
New guidelines by the UK Home Office, stipulates arbitrary eligibility for transfer for those minors without family in the UK, thus putting a large number of minors at further risk.
Rosie Pope, Report Author : “We are seriously concerned about the welfare of child refugees who, due to a lack ofinformation, are becoming desperate. Increasing numbers of children are leavingaccommodation centres and living homeless and unsupported as Winter draws in.”Benny Hunter, Report Author :“Since visiting these centres, we are still dealing, on a daily basis, with deeply distressed minors seeking psychological support and information on their case for transfer to the UK. Without a legal route to safety, they are hopeless.”
Liz Clegg, Women and Children’s Bus : “This report once again highlights the Governments contempt towards implementing both Dublin III and Dubs amendment. The haphazard way the Home Office has dealt with these children is nothing less than emotional and psychological abuse. Confusion, mixed messages and a sickening waiting game. A number of children have contacted us to say they have left the centres as there is ‘no chance’, others call us repeatedly to get some clarity or just some comfort.The Government needs to act immediately, to avoid further distress to already traumatised children.”
Rowan Farrell, Refugee Info Bus : “The French and UK government’s policy towards homeless, unaccompanied refugee children has been to sweep the issue under the rug. The Calais crisis has not been solved, onlymoved away from the public eye. This report, the only one of its kind, follows the issue on and shows an ineffective state level response that is characterized by disorganisation, misinformation and a failure to meet even basic legal requirements of childcare.”
Rapport disponible ci-dessous au format pdf :