Calais Jungle Refugee Camp

The Calais Jungle was a refugee and migrant camp located in Calais, France. The camp was located on a former landfill. This refugee camp drew global attention during the migrant crisis of Europe in 2015, due to its rapid growth in population. People at this camp were waiting to cross over to the United Kingdom. This refugee camp existed from January 2015 and it was demolished by the French authorities in October 2016.

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Where was the Jungle in Calais?

Here the jungle means the refugee camp located in Calais. This camp was located just outside the Port of Calais, a city in Northern France. It is just across the English Channel from Dover and it is the main ferry crossing point between England and France. Most of the migrants living in this camp came from Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Sudan.

Where is the Biggest Refugee Camp?

The World’s biggest refugee camp is located in Kutupalong located in Bangladesh. More than 6 lakh refugees from Myanmar are living in Kutupalong refugee camp. The refugees are persecuted Rohingyas who fled Myanmar to escape persecution. As per United Nations (UN) Rohingyas are one of the most persecuted minorities. They have not been given formal refugee status by Bangladesh. Most of the refugees are located in Cox Bazar district, it has resulted in reduced wages, loss of agricultural land to the locals and led to large scale deforestation.

How many Refugees are there in India?

1. There are more than 8000 Afghan refugees in India. Most of them are Hindus and Sikhs.
2. There are many refugees from Hindu refugees from Bangladesh, they fled during times of partition and during the liberation war of 1971. Many Buddhists from Bangladesh have settled in Mizoram.
3. Millions of Hindus and Sikhs came to India during the partition. Even now Hindus from Pakistan migrate to India as they face religious persecution and also face constitutional and legal discrimination.
4. In 1959, more than 80,000 tibetans migrated to India to escape persecution from China. Karnataka has the largest Tibetan refugee population. As of 2020, Karnataka has 12 schools run by and for the Tibetan community.
5. More than 1 lakh Sri Lankan Tamils live in India. Many of them migrated during the Sri Lankan Civil war from 1983 to 2009.
6. Many Indians were expelled from Uganda in 1972. Around 4,500 refugees from Uganda ended up in India.

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