This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/18/four-syrians-living-in-the-jungle-should-rejoin-family-in-uk-court-hears
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Four young refugees in Calais camp should join family in UK, court hears | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Four young Syrians should be allowed to escape the “living hell” of a Calais refugee camp and be reunited with their families in Britain, a court has heard. | Four young Syrians should be allowed to escape the “living hell” of a Calais refugee 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 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 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. |
| Related: Pro-refugee activists stage 'die-in' at St Pancras against Calais Jungle clearing | Related: Pro-refugee activists stage 'die-in' at St Pancras against Calais Jungle clearing |
| 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. | 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.” | 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. | 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.” | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. |
| Related: The horror of the Calais refugee camp: ‘We feel like we are dying slowly’ | Related: The horror of the Calais refugee camp: ‘We feel like we are dying slowly’ |
| The court heard they all suffered from trauma and had only spent one night in heated accommodation since they arrived in Calais last October. “It is an entirely unsuitable environment for any migrant and especially harmful for young people who have no family members,” Fordham said, quoting from the report. | The court heard they all suffered from trauma and had only spent one night in heated accommodation since they arrived in Calais last October. “It is an entirely unsuitable environment for any migrant and especially harmful for young people who have no family members,” Fordham said, quoting from the report. |
| Fordham quoted from experts who had told of their shock and horror at conditions in the camp. He said the office of the UN high commissioner for refugees said the camp amounted to “an undignified and intolerable situation” and that “people are living in a state of distress and total deprivation”. | Fordham quoted from experts who had told of their shock and horror at conditions in the camp. He said the office of the UN high commissioner for refugees said the camp amounted to “an undignified and intolerable situation” and that “people are living in a state of distress and total deprivation”. |
| The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières said the camp was a “state-sanctioned slum”, while the UN special representative on migration, Peter Sutherland, said on Twitter that he was “sickened by conditions in the Jungle”, branding it a “stain on Europe”. | |
| The hearing continues. | The hearing continues. |