Calais: A Cycle of Suffering Without Relief

Introduction

December 31st, 2024 (Calais, France) – As the world ushers in the new year with hopes for a brighter future, Calais braces for yet another year likely to follow a grim and familiar pattern. Between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. on this final day of the year, as has become routine, French authorities dismantled five of the many migrant encampments scattered across the area. This practice, now entrenched over time, perpetuates an atmosphere of escalating oppression for thousands of displaced individuals systematically denied their most basic rights.

Drivers of Migration and the Pull of the UK

Although the situation in Calais has received less media attention in recent times, it remains characterised by complex dynamics that require renewed scrutiny. Strategically located on France’s northern coast, overlooking the English Channel, Calais serves as a critical gateway between mainland Europe and the United Kingdom. Over the past decades, it has become a place of both hope and despair for thousands of migrants attempting to reach the UK.

For many, the United Kingdom represents a land of opportunity, offering better employment prospects, greater chances of obtaining asylum, and the advantage of speaking or learning English. Yet, at the heart of this ongoing migration, lies not only the search for better economic opportunities but also the simple fundamental right to live in dignity. 

Most migrants arriving in Calais are fleeing war, internal conflicts, and extreme poverty.  While many originate from countries such as Syria, Eritrea, Pakistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, in reality, they come from across the world — reflecting the complex and transnational nature of contemporary displacement. These drivers are further compounded by political instability, as autocratic regimes, occupying forces, terrorist groups, or armed militias impose increasingly severe restrictions on individual rights and fundamental freedoms.

The devastating effects of climate change also contribute to the crisis. Rising temperatures, natural disasters, famine, and drought are forcing entire communities to seek safety and stability elsewhere. Alongside these push factors, family reunification remains a critical motivation for migration to Europe. Earlier generations who reached the United Kingdom often provide essential support networks, offering both moral and financial assistance to help new arrivals confront the well-documented risks and challenges of their journey.

Historical Background: From Sangatte to the Present Day

The origins of the humanitarian crisis in Calais date back to 1999, when the first informal camp was set up in Sangatte with support from the Red Cross to accommodate the growing number of migrants coming from countries such as Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. In 2002, French authorities shut down the camp, forcing over 2,000 people to seek refuge in nearby forests. Over the following months, this led to the emergence of another makeshift encampment in the heart of the city.  Home to 1,000 individuals, it soon became synonymous with appalling living conditions, with reports that residents resorted to showering in contaminated water from a nearby chemical plant — an issue that ultimately led to the camp’s clearance in 2009.

As migration to Europe intensified in 2014, driven by conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, a larger informal settlement took shape. Known as “The Jungle,” it became notorious for its dire living conditions, chaotic organisation, and the presence of human trafficking networks, as well as frequent police raids that resulted in forced evictions and the destruction of shelters. At its peak, The Jungle spanned 3.9 square kilometers and housed over 8,000 people, all hoping to cross the English Channel to reach the UK. 

On October 24th, 2016, the French government once again dismantled the camp, forcibly relocating thousands of migrants to reception centers across France — CAES (centres d’accueil et d’évaluation des situations administratives) — where they were permitted to stay for no more than 11 days. However, this large-scale eviction did little to resolve the crisis. Despite global attention shifting away from Calais after The Jungle’s demolition, the situation remains one of the most severe humanitarian disasters, showing little sign of improvement after nearly a decade. 

Current Landscape of the Crisis

Today, Northern France continues to be the gathering point for thousands of migrants from diverse and precarious backgrounds. Forced into isolated informal settlements, they are now scattered across Calais and Grande-Synthe, on the outskirts of Dunkirk. 

The human rights situation is deteriorating at an alarming rate. These individuals face extreme vulnerability, deprived not only of the prospect of a dignified life but also of access to essential services, including food, water, and medical care. People live in tents, abandoned buildings, vehicles, makeshift shelters such as shacks, huts, and cabins, or directly on mattresses laid on the ground, enduring Northern France’s harsh winter temperatures.

With no viable alternatives, many attempt to cross the English Channel — an undertaking known as going “on try” — by irregular means, either by sea or land. Some opt for what is perceived as ‘the easiest way’: relying on smugglers and traffickers, paying exorbitant sums for unseaworthy dinghies, rafts, and boats that are often fatally inadequate for the journey to England. Others take the 30-kilometer Eurotunnel route, which directly connects France to the UK, risking their lives by hiding beneath, inside, or on top of vehicles—trucks, cars, vans, freight trains, or refrigerated containers — cutting open tarpaulins or clinging to the undersides of trailers.

The dangers of these voyages are immense, with migrants facing risks of drowning, hypothermia, asphyxiation, electrocution, falls, or crushing. Yet, despite these life-threatening conditions, many see no choice but to attempt the crossing. 2024 has been the deadliest year on record, with 89 migrants, exiles, and asylum seekers losing their lives during the traversée — a stark increase from 16 in 2023. Humanitarian organisations frequently recover bodies along the coastline. 

As the year came to a close, on December 29th, another tragic shipwreck occurred when an overcrowded and unauthorised boat capsized, throwing 48 migrants into freezing waters. At least three lost their lives after a sudden, panic-induced movement.  The tragedy continued into the new year: as of January 14th, 2025, five more migrants have already drowned at sea, underscoring the urgent need for both sustained international attention and concrete humanitarian action.  

Human Rights Violations

Hindrances to Civil Society Organisations

The methods employed by law enforcement in this area serve only to exacerbate the suffering of migrants, fostering an environment of constant insecurity. Migrants live in a perpetual state of fear, constantly at risk of losing their belongings — including temporary shelters, tarps, and essential supplies such as blankets and sleeping bags — all of which are critical for survival in the appalling weather conditions. 

A 2021 Human Rights Watch report condemned the degrading treatment of men, women, and children, registering systematic police interference with humanitarian aid distribution, as well as tactics that severely limit civil society organisations’ ability to operate. While these organisations strive to coordinate their efforts, people on the move are routinely denied access to essential services such as food, water, and medical care.

Law enforcement practices include, inter alia, issuing fines to vehicles, conducting arbitrary identity checks, engaging in psychological harassment, and at times resorting to intimidation and unauthorised filming of volunteers. Human Rights Observers, the organisation tasked with monitoring abuses against migrants and exiles in Calais and Grande-Synthe, has also denounced the physical restrictions imposed on efforts to document human rights violations in informal living sites. These restrictions — often justified by authorities as necessary to protect city dwellers — increasingly lead to the establishment of excessive and unwarranted security perimeters, finally compromising transparency and accountability in the face of potential wrongdoing.

Evictions, Bus Transfers, and Other Practices

In this context, the daily raids — such as the one carried out on December 31st, 2024 — have become a regular occurrence. In 2024 alone, 815 evictions were reported (provisional figure), marking an increase of 114 compared to 2023 and averaging two living sites per day throughout the year. These operations typically involve the deployment of large police convoys, often made up of six or seven vans, patrol cars, and unmarked vehicles, which enter informal living sites and force vulnerable populations to relocate elsewhere. As a result of these intrusions, displaced people are — not rarely — deprived of their personal belongings and at times, also subjected to physical and psychological harassment. While likely intended as part of a broader strategy to manage migration, these police practices ultimately have lasting effects on individuals’ health, dignity, and emotional stability — consequences that extend far beyond the immediate moment of eviction.

In some cases, evictions are also accompanied by the transfer of migrants onto buses headed to CAES facilities, where individuals are faced with two options: applying for asylum in France or returning to the streets. Utopia 56 —  an organisation offering emergency assistance to migrants by responding to distress calls and distributing essential supplies such as dry clothing and shoes — has compiled numerous testimonies over the years. These include reports detailing beatings, stone-throwing, the indiscriminate use of tear gas or firearms to stop boats from sailing, and the confiscation of electronic devices — often aimed at preventing people from recording these violations. A volunteer operating in Calais recently recounted an incident of unprovoked police violence, in which an officer used a truncheon against a migrant who was simply about to buy soup in a local supermarket.

These measures clearly fail to achieve their stated objectives of providing alternative housing or discouraging attempts to cross into the UK. And the near-immediate re-establishment of camps and the continued deaths at sea provide clear evidence that these policies are neither effective nor sustainable. On the contrary, they further weaken the resilience of individuals, already physically and mentally exhausted by the ongoing loss of control over their lives. 

Conclusion

Yet this is happening at the core of Europe — a continent that proudly sees and presents itself as the “beacon of human rights” but far too often reveals an indifferent, if not cynical, attitude when confronted with calls for solidarity. On December 31st, 2024, as much of the world looked away, Calais closed the deadliest year on record, with 89 lives lost in the attempt to cross the English Channel. This tragic and sobering reality stands as a stark reminder of the human cost of indifference, compounded by the persistent lack of genuine cooperation among states. It calls on us, once again, to listen to and reflect on the voices of those whose only ‘crime’ is seeking a better future — and to ensure that these voices no longer go unheard.

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