This essay documented the development of the camp in Calais from summer 2015 until fall 2016. I omitted the names and nationalities of many individuals portrayed here upon their request and information that could lead to the identification of people’s places of origin. They feared that if their name and place of origin was known by the French government they would have been deported. The French government had adopted a policy of deportation for those coming from countries it did not consider dangerous for its population, places such as Iraq and Sudan where genocide was taking place were on that list.
The Geneva convention, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which state that "No Contracting State shall expel or return a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social or political opinion" were completely disregarded. Some argued that the complex nature of 21st century refugee relations call for a new treaty, that recognizes the evolving nature of modern-day crisis, but how can human rights become outdated when they have been drafted to preserve the dignity of a person? Most of the refugees refused to apply for asylum in France due to their resolve to make it to England, they were also discouraged by the less than hospitable treatment they received from the local authorities and the French police.
Most of the refugees in the north of France had no more resources to move on further so they waited for the increasingly difficult possibility to cross the tunnel onto their promised land remaining stuck in deplorable conditions. They were not in France, and they would probably never make it to Britain. The hesitation of local authorities to give aid in fear of encouraging a permanent settlement was unjustified from the beginning seeing as how refugee settlements have existed for nearly twenty years in Calais, this was the fourth location and the one that had seen the greatest number of refugees. At some point more than six thousand people lived there, in a few months the settlement turned into a slum, communities were formed and for many of these refugees it was the only support in the horrid ordeal.
Their day was frittered away standing in lines either to have access to the immigration services rejected by most or to receive donations of clothes and basic need items such as toilet paper and personal hygiene items. Chemical latrines were put by the local authorities throughout the camp, but hygiene was still very poor causing a dysentery epidemic. Medical aid was provided by Medecins Sans Frontieres and Medecins Du Monde, meals and showers were provided by the Jules Ferry community center, a governmental organization along with other kitchens organized by citizen organizations but despite this effort conditions were far from ideal. Diseases related to the harsh living conditions such as Measles were rife, and injuries suffered during attempts to cross over to England either through the tunnel or under trucks were common.
Despite all the relief efforts, substantial gaps remained to complete the assistance necessary to afford these people a dignified survival. Most of them were fighting states of mental depression caused by their predicament. They risked their lives believing in Europe they would find security and a dignified life; their reality was very far from the dreams many harbored on their way there. Eventually the French government decided to demolish the camp believing the influx of refugees would suddenly stop. Refugee arrival to Europe remains the same and so does the welcome extended to them.
© Daniel Botelho
