A camp in Paris

This June, we're joining forces with several associations working for the rights of exiled people. The Comité pour la santé des exilé·e·s (Comede), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Midis du MIE, TIMMY - Soutien aux Mineurs Exilés and Utopia 56 are present alongside a hundred young unaccompanied foreigners in a Paris square.

Unaccompanied children rights

Since the beginning of the week, this camp has been set up in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, on Square Jules Ferry. Those present are alerting the public to the precarious situation of unaccompanied children. These young people are far from their families, and are struggling to have their status as minors recognized by the French departments. To date, the state has failed to provide any care for these young people, who are waiting in great precariousness, entirely dependent on the humanitarian commitment of citizen associations and groups.

Damien Roudeau, field cartoonist

Damien Roudeau, a cartoonist from our network, is on site every day. He interviews, documents and illustrates the young men. Thanks to his drawings, he is able to portray their situation, support associations and call on public authorities. Damien Roudeau is no stranger to the field, and for the past ten years or so he has been working with workers, exiled people, journeymen and port workers in Brest, France... through his diaries.

Drawing to alert

Portraits, panoramas and sketches of the place help to document the precarious situation. Protection and accommodation should be respected rights for these young people, some of whom have been in France for months or years.

To alert the authorities, relay this appeal:
>> https://www.msf.fr/mineursalarue

>> We call on the departmental councils of the Ile-de-France region to respect their obligation to provide care for unaccompanied foreign children, i.e. accommodation, access to healthcare, food and education, and a follow-up by an educator, until the final judicial decision on their situation.

Portrait of an exiled teenager

Salahou-Dine doesn't know anyone in France. "I'm the only Beninese member of the group here tonight," said the 17-year-old, who arrived in France in September 2019, after passing through Italy, Libya and Niger. For months, he lived on the streets, sometimes ending up at Porte de La Chapelle, sometimes at Porte d'Aubervilliers and sometimes at Porte de La Villette.

[Interview by Julia Pascual]

See also the France Culture article on the camp.