Calais, assistance, medical care and psychological support for migrants on the border between France and the United Kingdom

ROME – At the Franco-British border, hundreds of people try to reach the United Kingdom every day, risking their lives due to the absence of prospects in France or to reach relatives or friends on the island. There are currently between 400 and 600 people stuck in Calais, a lower number than in previous years, on the one hand because crossings have increased, but also because French policies (known as “Zero point of fixation”) scatter and make people invisible along the northern coast of France. The lack of services from the French authorities, isolation from local communities and language barriers further weaken these people, who have suffered violence and trauma during their migration journey. This is the reason why the teams of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have returned to operations in Calais, providing medical care and psychological support to people on the move.

Work in informal settlements. “The systematic evictions by the police, sometimes implemented with violence, the confiscation of personal belongings, marginalization and obstacles placed on the work of voluntary organizations – says Pauline Joyau, MSF project coordinator in Calais. – have led to an increasingly precarious situation for people on the move, contributing to the deterioration of their state of health”. To respond to health needs and facilitate access to healthcare, the MSF team is working in informal settlements, day centers and shelters in Calais. It is here that the most vulnerable cases are identified and then referred to medical centers offering free treatment or to hospitals, in full collaboration with public health professionals.

Severe breathing problems. Most have respiratory problems related to exposure to the cold and lack of treatment for infections or suffer from injuries caused by falls from trucks used to cross the Channel. The MSF team has also assisted people who have suffered physical violence during the journey or who have survived traumatic experiences, such as being shipwrecked in the English Channel. “Every day the police seize blankets and tents provided by voluntary organizations. I slept in the rain, in the cold”, says Abu Qasim, born in Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp located south of Damascus.

I increase the number of personal tragedies. The reduction of legal and safe channels to the UK only increases the number of tragedies along this border. According to the Observatoire des migrants morts à Calais, between 1999 and 2023 more than 350 people lost their lives in France, Belgium, the United Kingdom or at sea while trying to reach England. Thousands more are living with physical and psychological wounds as a result of the policies of the French and British governments.

Collaboration with volunteers. The MSF team works with voluntary organizations that have long been working in the area. “It is thanks to them and to the generosity of some supportive citizens that migrants are able to meet their basic needs” concludes Joyau of MSF. “However, obstacles to the work of associations and pressure on volunteers are increasing. Despite complaints and appeals, the practices of the police and local authorities have not changed.”

The stories of two MSF patients in Calais.

Abu Ahmad. “My wife is in Sudan, but I know I won’t be able to see her again.” Abu Ahmad fled Sudan, where he was arbitrarily detained at the age of 15 on grounds of his tribal affiliation. “I spent 13 years in prison for no reason – he said – I was beaten with batons and sometimes with rubber and iron pipes. They broke my foot, I still feel pain and I bear the marks of torture on my feet and legs. I succeeded to escape from prison and I took refuge in Chad, where I worked in a gold mine in Kouri, a few kilometers from the Libyan border.After collecting 700 grams of gold, the boss refused to pay me and threatened me death. So I took the road to Libya, but a trafficker stole all my money and sold me into slavery. I was exploited for over a year. Finally, I was able to escape Libya by sea to take refuge in Europe. I am married to a woman in Sudan, but I know I will never see her again.”

Abu Qasim. “Every day the police seize the blankets that associations donate to us”. Abu Qasim was born in Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp located south of Damascus. For a long time the camp was besieged by Syrian pro-government forces, depriving the population of food and basic necessities. Abu Qasim lost his leg in a mortar explosion. “Every day the police seize blankets and tents provided by voluntary organizations. I slept in the rain, in the cold. We tried to warm up by lighting a fire, but the police came to put it out with fire extinguishers and threw water on us.

“I buried 18 people.” With my disability, every little task is complicated, whether it’s washing up, fetching food or even just sitting down. I suffered a lot in Syria and sometimes bad memories still come back to me. Yarmouk camp has long been under siege by pro-government Syrian forces. I buried 18 people and every day I lost someone close to me to starvation or disease. I lost my leg in an explosion that killed five of my friends. After that I decided to leave Syria to join my family in Europe”.