Calais ‘Jungle’: anger over fate of child refugees denied UK asylum hearing
Masud, 15, died on a lorry after losing hope that his claim to live with his sister in Britain would ever be heard
Children in a French refugee camp. Aid workers estimate there may be hundreds of unaccompanied minors in the camps at any given time. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images
Just before the New Year, Masud decided he couldn’t wait any longer. Christmas had come and gone. Life in the sprawling Calais “Jungle”, a squalid home for up to 6,000 migrants, was becoming increasingly unbearable for the 15-year-old. He had a legitimate claim for entry to the UK because he has a sister living here. But no one, least of all the British government, was listening.
