Sexual Assault Tragedy Against Children in Calais Camp in France!

Seven boys aged 14 to 16 have been victimized by sexual assault over the past six months in a forest camp located in France.

Regarding the sexual assault cases against teenage boys in the forest camp at the port of Calais in France, aid workers have stated that what is most concerning is the lack of sufficient measures to protect refugee children and adolescents. The dangers resulting from this are being felt throughout Europe following the refugee wave.

The British publication The Independent reported: One of the volunteers providing medical services to refugees living in the camp known as the Jungle stated that seven boys aged 14 to 16 have been victimized by sexual assault over the past six months and have been subjected to assault!

He further stated that of the 7 cases mentioned, 4 of the boys required surgery, yet only one of them was willing to go to the hospital and receive treatment. However, the other three cases refused to undergo surgery due to fear and shame from having been sexually abused.

He added: I myself have three sons, and I put myself in the place of these children’s parents. It is very painful that they migrated to save their lives and their parents believe their child is in a safe place, yet in Europe this is unacceptable—that a child be assaulted. Unaccompanied children, given their young age, are always vulnerable, and this vulnerability can be intensified due to exploitation or sexual abuse.

Europol, the law enforcement agency of the European Union, has also expressed concern about sexual abuse of unaccompanied refugee children throughout Europe. This is while in January, a senior Europol official estimated that 10,000 unaccompanied refugee children have gone missing in Europe.

Volunteers assisting refugees stationed in Calais have provided regrettable reports of sexual abuses. They have also added that the French government is turning a blind eye to classifying this camp for the protection of children, which has itself become a humanitarian crisis.