Four young refugees in Calais camp should join family in UK, court hears

Four young Syrians should be allowed to escape the “living hell” of a Calaisrefugee camp and be reunited with their families in Britain, a court has heard.

The four young men, who all have relatives in the UK but cannot be named for legal reasons, had applied for the British government to take charge of their asylum claims, which would allow them to live in the UK.

The Home Office turned down their applications but lawyers have appealed against the decision, claiming it breaches their rights to a family life under article 8 of the European convention on human rights. The four people, who fled war-torn Syria last September and arrived at the camp in October, are said to be deeply traumatised by their experiences.

Michael Fordham QC, representing the applicants, reeled off a list of UN officials, charities and British MPs who had spoken out about the “intolerable situation” at the camp, known as “the Jungle”. Quoting from a report by a doctor who assessed the refugees in the camp, Fordham said: “Conditions in the camp mean that further traumas are added to the ones they have already experienced. It would not be possible to find conditions more unsuitable to minors than the Calais camp.”

Laura Griffiths, a volunteer worker at the camp, described it as a “toxic waste camp” that amounted to “living hell”, the immigration and asylum tribunal heard. She said unaccompanied minors at the camp were particularly vulnerable to violence.

Fordham told the two immigration judgest hearing the case in London: “What do these children need? They need to be reunited with their siblings. That is partly because of the trauma.”

Two of the applicants were boys in their late teens. One was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and along with the second boy, urgently needed to be reunited with his family, the court heard. 

The other two were brothers; a 17-year-old who was the carer for his 26-year-old brother, who has mental health problems, despite himself having post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress reaction.

Fordham said a doctor found that “conditions in the camp are aggravating the condition [of the carer] and are harmful”, while his brother also needed to be removed for his health.