(Photo by Malachybrowne via Flickr/CC BY 2.0 DEED)
Listen to Article Summary:
Note: Parts of this interview have been edited for clarity and brevity.
On June 12th 2026, the European Union’s (E.U.) new Pact on Migration and Asylum took full effect, securitizing borders, limiting asylum eligibility, and outsourcing asylum processing to countries outside the E.U. Since 2024, human rights NGOs have vocally pushed back against the European legislation, accusing it of putting “people at risk of human rights violations.” Five days later, on June 17th, the European Parliament also approved a new Return Regulation, aimed at ramping up the deportation of so-called ‘irregular’ migrants, in a move that CEPS claims to be the “ICE-ification” of E.U. migration policy.
You're already part of the story.
For 6 years, readers like you have kept Spheres independent and youth-led. If this piece mattered to you, join our Sphere of Influence — from $5/month.
Join the Sphere →Amid a rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric and right-wing populism, the policies that have been implemented have become increasingly strict, often choosing to detain and punish people on the move for trying to claim their internationally protected right to asylum.
These migration policies affect people of all ages but children on the move are particularly vulnerable to the effects of displacement and legal limbo. Under the Dublin Agreement, asylum-seekers who have established themselves in one of the internal E.U. states can be sent back to the first E.U. country they entered, despite the free movement that typically characterizes the Schengen area. The new Pact on Migration and Asylum is expected to lead to an increase in Dublin transfers, with more children being ‘double displaced’ as a consequence.
Although their rights are enshrined in multiple pieces of human rights legislation, including a note by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and the Council of Europe, the harsh reality of the situation at the E.U.’s borders affects children disproportionately.
In this piece, I interview Corinna, a playworker and clinical psychologist working for the NGO Project Play, an organization focused on protecting children in Calais, a small town in Northern France that is a hotspot for people trying to cross the English Channel.
Thank you, Corinna, for taking the time for this interview. Let’s start by setting the scene. What is the situation in Calais like and how has it changed?
“In 2015-2016, there were around 5,000 to 6,000 people living in the so-called “jungle” here in Calais. Originally, the campsite was called the “jungle” because that is the translation of the Farsi word for “woods” or “forest.” So, it initially described the place where people stayed in the forest, as the government struggled to find adequate shelter for them. However, over time, this word has become stigmatized and dehumanizing, with a “jungle” being a wild place for wild animals, something dangerous. That’s also how Calais is largely represented in the media.
Back in 2015-16, people on the move lived in what can be described as a somewhat organized camp of tents. But then, a few years ago, it was completely destroyed. We still speak of the “jungle of Calais,” but the jungle now looks more like a collection of informal camps that have popped up in the woods, next to Calais’ hospital or along the road. These camps are not government led; they are government destroyed. There is no running water or electricity. [Evictions] happen constantly, resulting in people losing their belongings, tents, and friends. Sometimes they are also victims of police brutality.”
(Photo by Nicolas Pinault of Voices of America via Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)
“It’s complicated because the French government does not want people on the move to stay, and even more so to stay visible, here at the U.K.–French border. But they also do not want them to leave, because the French police and border control are being paid by the U.K. government to prevent them from going on boats or crossing by lorry. [People] are kept from any safe route or legal route to cross as well. So, the question is: where should they go? They cannot stay, but they cannot leave either.
Unfortunately, the new E.U. Pact will only make the situation more difficult. They are planning on increasing the police presence and doing even more to securitize the border. There is already such a heavy police presence here — I have rarely seen as [many] police in my life as in Calais. This will then, of course, have a [worse] impact on the people living here. Their living sites are even more likely to be destroyed, the repeated violence against them is only going to increase, and they are likely to be stranded here for longer.”
The NGO you work for, Project Play, focuses on the children living within this context. What challenges do children on the move face?
“Project Play is the only NGO in Calais and the surroundings that is focused on children on the move and their needs. It was set up because there are approximately 300 or 400 children […] living in campsites right now with almost no safe spaces. When the camps are destroyed, these children often lose their homes and belongings. They have no activities and little structure to hold on to. Project Play provides psychosocial and play sessions in different living sites in and around Calais, to try to bring some normalcy back to childhood in this very hostile environment.
We notice […] a lot of dysregulation. There’s a lot of fighting, which is normal, of course, because some of the children are very small, but more so because most of them do not have any toys and can’t go to school. The disruption to their sleep patterns does not help the situation. A lot of children (and adults) arrive at our sessions [ …] dysregulated because they’re tired: they tried all night — and often for several nights in a row — to cross the border and did not sleep, or they slept on the beach, and were cold, hungry, and unsafe.”
“[We] have quite a few children who are suspected to have special education needs, or who we suspect suffer from autism. The question then is: do we see them because they draw more attention, or is it also linked to everything they’ve been through? It’s hard to tell exactly, but not having a stable home, being separated from your family, being threatened by the police, being chased — all these things have a negative effect on your development. For example, we see many children who are three or four who still wear nappies, which is something you would typically expect children to grow out of at a younger age, and which can indicate developmental difficulties related to trauma.
[Another] thing that children bring up a lot is having been at school or having had friends and connections in other E.U. countries where they grew up or were born.”
But if these children had a stable childhood in a different country, why are they displaced again? What effect does this double displacement have on their development?
“So, what I’m seeing here most right now is children or even teenagers who were born in and have lived for a long time in, for example, Germany, and whose parents had temporary papers or visas. But then governments change, and they don’t always stick to the decisions they made before. Right now, some countries are being described as ‘safe’ again, meaning that people who were originally granted protection can now be sent back to their home countries. The other option is linked to the Dublin Agreement, according to which asylum-seekers can be sent back to the first E.U. country they entered, which usually is not Germany.
For many people this is not an option, because they built a whole new life in their current country of residency. Both the parents and children learned the language; they get quite nostalgic speaking about life in Germany. So, when the laws change, the only choice they have is to either go back to their country, which is not really an option — and highly dangerous — for many of them, or to move to a country that hasn’t signed the Dublin Agreement. So, they have to leave the Schengen Area, which is why there are so many people here at the border: since Brexit, the U.K. has become one of the best (and only) options.
It is very frustrating seeing all these people being let down and openly rejected by E.U. countries. It is not something I expected to see. These people were more or less tolerated in their country of residence, maybe even welcomed, before. They had a stable life, papers, maybe a job, school for the kids — they had achieved all of this. And then, quite cruelly, the rules change and they are back in the precarious situation they were in five or ten years ago.
Even when you have stability, you do not know how long it will last. People on the move risk a continuous journey towards the unknown with maybe some breaks here and there. [The] impact this has on children, on teenagers, on adults, is just horrendous.
The more often you are displaced, the harder it can get. This is especially the case at a young age when children are trying to build relationships and an identity. They already had to understand themselves as being born in, for example, Afghanistan, while growing up in Germany. But now they also find themselves on a campsite without knowing what will come next and where they will go. [Even] if they make it to the U.K. one day, they will be behind in school and have to learn a new language. The impact will last a long time. These years cannot be given back.”
Calais is, as you said, a very hostile environment. How does growing up in an environment that is hostile towards immigrants affect the identity and self-perception of children on the move?
“We hear a lot of kids saying things like “I’m not good” or “I’m a loser” or getting very emotional when they don’t succeed at a game or task. It can take a lot of positive validation to get them to engage in activities. [Having] low self-esteem raises the risk of developing psychological disorders or becoming excessively sad or anxious in the long term. [It] could be age related, but I’ve also noticed that the children here [are] a bit all over the place.
They tend to jump from one activity to the next, and it reminds me of how much they have to move in their daily lives. There’s no child-friendly and safe space to just sit and focus on something. [They remain] constantly agitated and very attentive to the stimuli surrounding them [as] a way to adapt, to survive.
Some of the children are also very sensitive to any noise. Sometimes we also bring ear defenders to our sessions. I remember that the other day, there was a music performance for the kids and there was one little girl who was very scared. [She] hid because of the music. It makes sense, of course. There is so much noise all the time — being chased by the police, the camp being destroyed, potential fights — [and] usually noise means that something scary is happening.”
(Photo by Project Play via Spheres of Influence)
“During our sessions, we’ve also noticed a lot of police play and shooting games […]. The children are finding a way to retell their story. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing — if they create a gun out of Lego to act out what they’re living on a daily basis, this can, if framed carefully, create a space where children can externalize their experiences and reality, or play them out without being afraid. And maybe then, over time, these triggering elements will be less present in nightmares or flashbacks.”
How does Project Play try to combat the effects that displacement has on children?
“A core value of ours is that every child – on the move or not – should have the right to play. This is important because it gives children the opportunity to choose what they want to play, what they want to do. In these camp settings, both them and their parents rarely have a choice. It’s always governments deciding, not deciding, or hesitating, leaving them stuck or stranded. So, we organize play and education activities and sometimes distribute toys in the campsites and shelters because playing allows children to be actors and not passive witnesses for once.”
What do you think policymakers most misunderstand about children on the move?
“I think they need to understand that [a person and child] on the move are not a threat, but somebody very rich that can contribute to our society. The children we see here have so many internal resources and so much knowledge. These are kids who speak four to six languages. At an early age [they] have learned so many things about life that even adults are ignorant of. I think there is a hidden treasure that lives in all of these kids. They could contribute so much to European societies of tomorrow, whether in France, Germany, the Netherlands, or the U.K.. I think it is a serious misunderstanding to view them as a burden instead of an opportunity.”
The restrictive border control policies that are being implemented around the world are causing a humanitarian crisis that will likely leave a lasting impact on young generations. As children grapple with changing migration policies and hostile anti-immigrant attitudes, projects like Project Play become more important than ever. Because these NGOs rely on donations and volunteers to stay running, they are a reminder that solidarity can, and must, stand fast despite the rising tide of isolationism and xenophobic policies.
Readers can follow Project Play on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Edited by Khushi Mehta
