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World News

Faith leaders protest against treatment of Calais minors

by Hannah Tooley

Faith leaders have gathered outside the French Embassy in London to urge French authorities to do more to help unaccompanied children in the Calais migrant camp.

They delivered a letter demanding effective action to protect lone kids in the camp, as the southern part is demolished.

Revd Karen Rooms, co-chair of Citizens UK, told Premier's News Hour: "We had the letter to hand over and the gentleman received us very courteously and thanked us for coming, and assured us that the letter would be given to the ambassador and that they would contact us and ask for that letter."

"As parts of the camp have been bulldozed this week, there's serious worries about where they [the children] will end up, and we're particularly concerned because these are children who have family members in the UK and have a legal right to join them here."

"We have a team of lawyers who have been gathering the correct identification information to help people put cases together, and working with French NGO's who have contacts and are working with the children to make sure life is as bearable as possible for them."

It is estimated around 500 children live in the migrant camp known as The Jungle.

The advocacy charity currently has 70 legal live cases with children in Calais, and estimate that there are another 80 who would qualify for family reunion.

On Thursday the French President Hollande and Prime Minister David Cameron agreed that the children in Calais with family members in Britain should be swiftly reunited with their loved ones.

Listen to Premier's Hannah Tooley speak to Revd Karen Rooms on the News Hour:

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