Calais, France – A new report from NGO Project Play, released today, reveals that children on the UK-France border are facing devastating violence, increasing their risk of harm and serious injury, including death. More children were killed on the border in 2024 than in the past four years combined.

 

The charity, which provides play services, parental support and safeguarding casework to children aged 0–18 living in informal sites around Calais and Dunkirk, documented rising levels of violence, trauma and child fatalities linked directly to UK border policies and the millions of pounds of UK taxpayer money sent to France to fund enforcement action each year.

 

“[Police] bring out the knives and pepper spray then guns. I’m only a child. Why are you doing this?... We want to be safe and that’s it.”

- Miel (15) and Y (13), children from Iraqi Kurdistan who attended Project Play sessions in 2024.

 

Project Play identifies several factors behind the increased rate of violence against children, and the related risk of serious harm, injury and fatality. Notably, the increase in police “interceptions” of people attempting to cross the Channel exposed children to violence and harm. Project Play received numerous testimonies of the use of teargas against children, and worked with children as young as three months old who had injuries as a result of teargas. Many children also told the charity of the police using knives to stab the boats whilst they were boarding them, plunging them into icy water.

 

“Did you know that there’s lots of Kurdish people buried here who died in a boat? I don’t want to die on a boat.” 

- J* (8), a child who attended Project Play sessions in 2024.

 

These operations also increased the risk of dangerous overcrowding on boats. The interception of vessels reduced the number of boats making it to shore, but without the creation of safe routes to make the journey, this change did not prevent people from crossing. Instead, it made the journeys more risky - indeed, at least three children were killed in 2024 as a result of crush-related incidents.

 

In an effort to avoid violent interceptions, more families began crossings from more remote and dangerous sites. One child, 7-year-old Roula, drowned in a canal 30km from the coast during such an attempt.

 

Increased violence on the beaches was coupled with violence in living sites. Project Play found that police “evictions”, designed to disrupt already unstable living conditions, left families without adequate shelter or protection, and were a source of physical and psychological harm. Many children showed signs of trauma, including an inability to emotionally regulate, alongside an ingrained fear of the police:

 

“On 16th October, a 3-year-old began lining up toy cars like riot vehicles and yelling ‘police’ - he was deeply dysregulated,” said one Project Play staff member.

 

The living conditions in northern France and lack of services and support available to families also exposed children to harm. A 10-month-old baby died due to health complications, whilst his family were unable to access adequate health care. Other families routinely struggled to access the basic services they needed, including food, water, sanitation and shelter, as well as support in the aftermath of traumatic incidents and tragedies.

 

Centrally, the report finds that families and unaccompanied children were often attempting to cross to the UK as a last resort. Due to the lack of safe routes to seek asylum in the UK and a lack of information about the French asylum system, many people felt they had no choice but to try and find safety in the UK. 

 

Increasing anti-immigrant policies across Europe have prevented people from accessing safety and stability, with many of the families Project Play worked with in 2024 having spent several years in other European countries. For these families, changes in circumstances and policies meant they were forced to re-start their journeys and search for protection. One such family was that of Sara Alhashimi, who was born in Belgium where her family hoped to settle, but died during a small boat crossing aged 7.

 

“Every day, we see France and the UK not only failing to protect the human rights of children, but pursuing policies which actively threaten and undermine them,” said Katie Hall, Advocacy Lead at Project Play.

 

Key Findings:

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• At least 15 children were killed on the UK-France border in 2024

• Children experienced physical and psychological harm as a result of police violence, enacted by France and funded by the UK, during actions in living sites and during crossing attempts.

• Unaccompanied children faced criminalisation once they arrived in the UK, being detained with adults.

• Many children showed signs of trauma as a result of police intimidation and aggression, alongside repeated failed crossing attempts.

 

Urgent recommendations:

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Calling for an urgent end to the violence facing children on the border and to prevent future fatalities, Project Play makes recommendations for policy changes in both the UK and France. Centrally, they call for:

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• Accountability from the governments of France and the UK for border deaths, including the publication of transparent data on incidents and fatalities.

• An end to violent French police operations in living sites and on beaches, and a halt to the UK funding which enables them.

• The creation of safe and accessible routes to asylum in both France and the UK for all those who need them.

 

Gunes Kalkan, Head of Campaigns at Safe Passage, said: “Project Play's report reveals the devastating reality of policies that prioritise security over people. We see through our work with refugee families how the lack of safe routes to the UK is leaving children in situations of violence and at risk of taking dangerous journeys. The government must open safe routes to protect children and prevent further deaths in the Channel."

 

Project Play dedicated the report to the children who died at the border in 2024: Abadeh, Mohammed, Roula, Sara, Abdelaziz, Mohammed, Ishannullah, Sabila, Meri, Mansur, Maryam, Salah, and the others whose names have been lost.

 

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** ENDS **

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CONTACT

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Lily MacTaggart, Kate O'Neill and Katie Hall - Report Authors

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>> All can be reached via info@project-play.org

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​*Names were changed to protect the identities of individuals