Thousands of refugees are struggling in cold conditions at the Grande Synth Camp yet aid is being blocked at the gate it is claimed
Nearly 60,000 people have signed a petition calling for aid agencies to be allowed better access to a refugee camp in northern France.
Aid workers have described conditions in the Grande Synthe camp, near Dunkirk, home to more than 2,000 refugees, as “severe” saying residents are in “dire need of assistance”.
In a letter signed by a number of organisations, including Calais Action, Calaid and The Common Good Collective, campaigners warn that if something isn’t done soon the situation could develop into a humanitarian disaster.
Restrictions on those trying to provide shelter and aid are preventing the situation from being mitigated
The camp has been hit with flooding over the last few weeks with workers saying as well as inadequate shelter there is a lack of food and sanitation, and increasingly serious medical issues.
A by-law passed two weeks ago however has stopped aid workers being able to bring tents and building materials of any kind in to the camp.
French national police guarding the camp’s entrance, it is claimed, have been obstructing entry of those carrying these vital supplies, with decisions about what is permitted and what is banned often appearing arbitrary.
Calais Action’s Libby Freeman said: “The site in Dunkirk is far below the UN minimum standards for a refugee camp.
“In all the places I've worked around Europe during the crisis I've not seen such terrible conditions.
“This is truly on our doorstep and cannot be overlooked any longer.”
The Grande Synthe camp, along with another at Calais, is earmarked to be closed by March, with refugees decanted to another site.
However, campaigners say with a new site yet to be confirmed and with construction not started, realistically refugees will have to see out winter in the current conditions.
In a report from the camp, aid worker Maddie Harris said: “There are huge numbers of people who have lost friends and family in their countries of origin, their only way to find safety is now to live in squalor.
“This month, the weather has worsened and the temperature has dropped, making the need for aid even greater. But restrictions on those trying to provide shelter and aid are preventing the situation from being mitigated.
“The most urgent concerns are the inadequacy of temporary tents and shelters for new arrivals, lack of food and sanitation, and increasingly serious medical issues.”
Following an appeal to the local mayor, aid workers were told they would be allowed to deliver small tents and pallets today (Monday) but the campaigners say much more needs to be done.
The petition launched on the Care2 website is calling for restrictions to be overturned, better sanitation solutions, increased medical cover, funding to build appropriate accommodation and a safe passage created for refugees heading to meet family in the UK.
It has been signed almost 60,000 times despite only being live since Friday.
Of the 2,000 residents in the camp, approximately 300 are children aged between two months and 17 years.
