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Migrants still arriving in Calais with high hopes

Despite a strong police response, hardship and possible death, migrants arrive in Calais and hope to cross the Channel.

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Some 3,000 migrants and refugees stay in the makeshift settlement, known locally as 'the Jungle' in Calais, where they live in very difficult conditions. [Olivier Laban Mattei/UNHCR]
By Celine Schmitt and Olivier Laban Mattei
Published On 12 Aug 2015

Calais, France – An estimated 3,000 refugees and migrants live in Calais on the northern coast of France. Many of them are refugees who fled conflict, violence or persecution in Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia and Syria and need international protection.

They are part of the 225,000 people who arrived via the Mediterranean Sea and entered Europe so far this year, mainly through Greece or Italy.

RELATED: Crisis in Calais

The situation in Calais has highlighted the need for greater responsibility and coordination between European countries and a robust implementation of the Common European Asylum System.

UNHCR has called upon EU member states to address the current gaps in asylum and reception, and increase efforts in measures such as relocation and other legal avenues for people to reach safety.

A collective and far-reaching European response is required, based on principles of humanity, access to protection, solidarity and responsibility-sharing, both within the EU but also with countries outside the EU.

Calais migrants / DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
The settlement lacks proper housing and access to sanitation facilities. Many of the refugees here have fled conflict, violence and persecutions in Sudan, Erithrea, Somalia, Afghanistan and Syria. [Olivier Laban Mattei/UNHCR]
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Sudanese asylum seekers build their own shelter at the camp. [Olivier Laban Mattei/UNHCR]
Calais migrants / DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
Calais is a magnet for migrants, who come here to try to get across the English Channel to the UK. [Olivier Laban Mattei/UNHCR]
Calais migrants / DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
It is a desperate journey for refugees, who risk everything to make the crossing. Many have already died trying to make it to Calais. [Olivier Laban Mattei/UNHCR]
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Charities have arrived to intervene as the response from the government to the humanitarian crisis has been inadequate. [Olivier Laban Mattei/UNHCR]
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A 26-year-old migrant from Sudan wants to take his chances and go to the UK because he has family there and he speaks English well. In the UK, he plans to finish his studies in civil engineering. [Olivier Laban Mattei/UNHCR]
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The French government opened the Jules Ferry camp earlier this year to help accommodate migrants and refugees. [Olivier Laban Mattei/UNHCR]
Calais migrants / DO NOT USE/ RESTRICTED
Another Sudanese migrant has been living in a makeshift shelter in Calais for almost one year. The 30-year-old hopes to get an interview with OFPRA and a room in an accommodation centre soon. [Olivier Laban Mattei/UNHCR]
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An asylum seeker from Sudan studies the names of the French provinces. [Olivier Laban Mattei/UNHCR]
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As the crisis grows, the camp slowly develops social and economic structures. Local and national charities provide for the many cultural and religious groups who find themselves rubbing shoulders in a confined space. [Olivier Laban Mattei/UNHCR]
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