FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

News

Dunkirk’s Migrant Crisis: Breaking Borders (Dispatch 9)

VICE News reports from the migrant and refugee camp in Dunkirk, northern France, where around 2,500 people are living in deplorable conditions, and meets some of the camp’s residents, who hope for a better life after escaping war and persecution.

As Europe continues to struggle with the worst refugee crisis since World War II, those who seek a better life in the UK often end up in camps in northern France, such as the migrant 'Jungle' camp in Calais.

But not far from the Jungle lies another makeshift camp just outside the French city of Dunkirk, which is home to at least 2,500 refugees and migrants living in squalor. Bad weather conditions have turned the camp into a muddy bog, making life increasingly difficult for the families and young children who reside there.

The French government has agreed to set up new facilities to house migrants and refugees in Dunkirk, yet agencies offering aid to the residents of the camp have described conditions as deplorable and inhumane. Restrictions on what aid agencies can bring into the site, such as construction materials, have hampered efforts to improve conditions.

VICE News reports from the camp, speaks with one family that fled from Iraq to escape the threat of the Islamic State, and meets a young child who hopes to receive an education.

Watch "Protesters Storm French Port: Breaking Borders (Dispatch 8)"

Read "Migrants and Activists Face Charges After Police Forced to Intervene During Calais Protest"