Children on the Move, France

In northern France, unaccompanied children and young people remain highly vulnerable, suffering from daily police pressure using violent means to dismantle makeshift camps, lacking appropriate hygiene, sanitation, or healthcare as well as sufficient services providing age and language appropriate information about their legal options.

For five years, RYS provided safe spaces, both fixed and mobile, from which a team of local professionals ensured that children knew their rights and were able to access state child protection services if they wanted to.

In 2021, RYS committed itself to a new chapter of support for children in northern France by releasing an open-call for locally registered organisations to take the work forward. In September of that year Every Child Protected Against Trafficking (ECPAT) France was selected and offered a three-year grant. Putting a French organisation in the place of RYS has enhanced coordination and collaboration with the institutions that are responsible for protecting children at local and national level.