More than 2,000 migrants and refugees sleeping rough under bridges and by canals and aid groups describe it as “catastrophic sanitary conditions”. Local politicians have demanded the government to provide shelter.
Paris has long faced problems of migrants and asylum seekers sleeping rough, separate to issues around Calais where a notorious makeshift camp of up to 8,000 people was dismantled 18 months ago.
Macron’s New controversial immigration law of seeks to criminalize illegal border crossing, and speed up the process for asylum requests and for expelling migrants unable to claim asylum. Aid groups have argued it does not set out a long-term system to receive and provide shelter for those arriving in France.
Pierre Henry, of the NGO France Terre d’Asile, said that in the immediate term, those sleeping rough in Paris camps must be given shelter. “I would say to decision makers: open your eyes, get everyone around the table local authorities, aid organisations – and build lasting solutions.”
Hundreds began gathering there and two other camps during cold weather at the start of the year, and numbers had grown in recent months. There is one water point, no showers and fewer than a dozen temporary toilets.
Charities said people traffickers were targeting the camp where some migrants and refugees were still considering trying to cross the Channel to the UK. People sleeping rough there feared theft and violence.
A 21-year-old from Senegal said: “There’s no real shelter. Rain leaks in and soaks you. No one sleeps properly. But where else can people go?”
Louis Barda, the Paris coordinator for the French medical aid group Médecins du Monde, said health issues, such as respiratory and skin problems, were a result of the “catastrophic sanitary conditions” of sleeping on the ground and in the rain. His team had provided psychological support for people who had experienced war, rape and torture, but often people also needed legal support because of pressure over administrative issues.
>Juthy Saha
Refugees Face Severe Sanitary Problem In Paris
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