There are currently 294 unaccompanied children living in the Calais refugee camp known as 'The Jungle', with another 129 having gone missing, after French authorities demolished the southern section of the camp back in March, according to a report from Help Refugees.Getty Images photographer Mary Turner visited the Calais camp, documenting the daily life of some of the unaccompanied children who are waiting to be allowed access to Britain.
Mohammed, Ali, Sader and Mustafa hide in a field to avoid police and security around the Port of CalaisMary Turner/Getty
Conditions inside the camp are worsening, and for those without parents or family members, the days that are spent within it are never-ending. Distractions are limited, the camp has few facilities and the children spend long afternoons playing on mobile phones, outdoor games and catching up on sleep – usually in tents or caravans that often house at least 20 others. Their evenings are taken up by endless journeys to nearby service stations – avoiding police and camp security along the way, as they hope to find a lorry or truck filling up with fuel that might be heading to the UK.
Many of the unaccompanied children are looked after by older refugees, who cook for them and ensure they are safe. A children's restaurant was set up by volunteers and concerned refugees from Afghanistan, which has become a designated 'safe area', allowing the children to simply be children for a while.
Bilal, 9, from Jalalabad in Afghanistan, looks out of the window of the tent that he shares with other young refugees. Bilal has no parents in the camp and is considered to be extremely vulnerable, although like many of the young refugees, he is taken care of on a day-to-day basis by those who are older than himMary Turner/GettyWali Khan, from Laghman Province in Afghanistan, is lifted up on a chair and made fun of by his friends. Although he only 7 years old and relatively small, Wali is a big character and provides seemingly endless entertainment for his friends, in particular the young refugees currently stranded in the campMary Turner/Getty
There are estimated 95,000 unaccompanied minors who have applied for asylum in Europe, yet they are still enduring the terrible conditions within refugee camps across the world. The children, who are now forced to fend for themselves have either made the entire journey by themselves, or were separated from their families along the way.
Following a parliamentary vote on 26 April 2016, denying refuge to 3,000 unaccompanied refugee children into the UK, Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has been forced to make a U-turn on the decision after the 294 to 276 vote caused uproar among the British public, as well as many MPs. The PM has since stated that the UK would take in unaccompanied Syrian refugees, but has not committed to a specific number, and reports have suggested that it would not happen for at least seven months.
Children watch an Indian film on television in the children's restaurant that has been set up for them Mary Turner/GettyAli, 14, from Kunduz in Afghanistan hold the hands of his younger friends Sardar and Mustara as they walk towards the fenced off highway leading to the port of CalaisMary Turner/GettyShakir Ullah, 13, pours himself a cup of tea in the tent that he shares with 20 other teenagersMary Turner/GettyA group of young men and boys play games with Wali Khan and his friend MustafaMary Turner/ GettyFour young boys from Afghanistan share food and tea before the group head out to try and stow away on vehicles leaving the Port of Calais and heading to the UKMary Turner/GettyAli, 14, from Kunduz in Afghanistan hold the hands of his younger friends Sardar and Mustafa as they walk towards the fenced-off highway leading to the port of CalaisMary Turner/GettySardar, Vali, Wali, Aziz and Mustafa use their mobile phones as they sit in a caravanMary Turner/GettyJavid, 11, from Laghman Province in Afghanistan, talks to his young friend Wali Khan, 7Mary Turner/GettyJavid shows his permanently twisted arm and some of the scars that cover much of his body. Javid explained that the scars had been inflicted by the Taliban, who believed that members of his family in Afghanistan had connections to the UK, forcing him to flee earlier this year. Like all his young friends in the camp, Javid spends his nights trying to evade police and gain access to vehicles heading to the UK, where he is desperate to seek asylumMary Turner/GettyFour young friends begin their walk through the refugee camp where they live and out into the fields, to try and find a way to get to the lorry and vehicle parks around the port of CalaisMary Turner/GettyWali Khan, 7, rests his head in his hands as he and his friends Mohammed, Sardar, Ali and Mustafa from Afghanistan discuss the night's planMary Turner/GettyShakir Ullah, 13, jokes around with his friends in a tent that's home to 20 teenagersMary Turner/GettyThree young boys play beneath the UK government-funded fences that separate the refugee camp where they live from the busy highway leading to the port of CalaisMary Turner/GettyAlim, 14, the leader of a group of young refugees, stands in a field beside the highway as he tries to make a plan for himself and his younger friends Sader, Mustafa and Mohammed to get around police and security patrols at the Port of CalaisMary Turner/GettyYasseen washes up after eating at the campMary Turner/GettyFareed and Mohammed catch up on sleep in the tent, which is home to 20 teenagersMary Turner/GettySardar 10, from Kunduz in Afghanistan washes his hands and face after waking up in the refugee campMary Turner/GettyVali, a 14-year-old refugee, watches the light fade from his caravan in the camp where he has lived for 6 monthsMary Turner/GettySardar and Mustafa begin their nightly trek out of the refugee camp where they live to try and make it to the UK. The boys will later try to move on through the fields to get to a nearby service station, where they aim to stow away on trucks and lorries heading to the UK as they stop for fuelMary Turner/GettySardar, 10, from Kunduz, Afghanistan cleans the floor of the caravan where he lives in the refugee campMary Turner/GettyBilal, 9, and his friend Habib from Jalalabad in Afghanistan play football together to pass the timeMary Turner/Getty
