Migrant Women in Europe Face Widespread Violence 10 Years After Calais Camp Dismantling

On October 22, 2026, the 10-year anniversary of the dismantling of the Calais "Jungle" migrant camp marks a period where women migrants in Europe continue to face significant risks of gender-based violence (GBV), sexual exploitation, and trafficking[27]. The removal of large, visible camps like Calais dispersed migrant populations, making their vulnerabilities less apparent and increasing exposure to exploitation, while also limiting access to gender-specific services[29]. This ongoing situation affects countless women seeking safety and new lives across the continent, often without adequate protection.

The Records Show Continuing Vulnerabilities

Women migrants face pervasive threats at every stage of their journey in Europe[17][21][20]. In January 2016, a joint report by UNHCR, UNFPA, and the Women's Refugee Commission (WRC) highlighted grave risks of sexual and gender-based violence for refugee and migrant women and girls in transit[1][14]. Some women have been forced into transactional sex to secure travel or passage[1].

Research in July 2025 indicated that Europe is not a safe place for migrant women and girls, with rising cases of sexual violence and particular vulnerability to attacks from smugglers and traffickers[16][10]. Women and girls constitute the majority of trafficking survivors in the EU[11][12]. Undocumented migrant women face additional challenges, being "doubly discriminated against" due to their gender and foreign status, along with structural racism and limited access to essential services[18]. Frohar Poya, a researcher at the European Network of Migrant Women, highlighted in March 2023 the severe impact of post-COVID-19 conditions, including job loss, housing instability, and limited healthcare access due to lack of documentation, on migrant women workers[5][19].

A Decade of Evolving Risks

The Calais "Jungle" camp, which began in January 2015, housed 8,143 people according to a Help Refugees census before French authorities began its dismantling on October 24, 2016[26][24][25]. Doctors of the World, who had been working in Calais since 2003, opposed the demolition, arguing it would leave thousands vulnerable[24]. Pippa Hatton of Doctors of the World UK noted that such demolitions often pushed people into "squalid squats and woodland"[24]. Vincent Cochetel, Director of UNHCR's Bureau for Europe in 2016, stated that "Many women and girls travelling on their own are entirely exposed, deprived of their family or community to protect them"[1].

By November 2022, WHO/Europe scaled up services to address gender-based violence among refugees displaced by the war in Ukraine, particularly in Moldova, where women, older people, and children formed the majority of refugees[7]. In December 2023, the AMAL project launched in France, implemented by France terre d'asile and the European Council for Refugees and Exiles (ECRE), to improve reception conditions for migrant women and promote their empowerment[2]. However, by May 2026, The Borgen Project reported that despite repeated demolitions, the Calais region saw re-emerging camps with an estimated population of 10,000, compared to 4,500 at the end of 2015, illustrating the persistence of migrant presence[30]. Reports from April 2026 confirm that heightened risks of GBV and sexual exploitation for women persist during migration and in destination countries[17]. In December 2025, Freedom United highlighted the urgent need for safe migration pathways for women fleeing sexual violence, as they face sex trafficking on dangerous routes to Europe[9].

What Changed and For Whom

The dismantling of large migrant camps like the Calais "Jungle" led to a shift where vulnerabilities became more dispersed and less visible[29]. This dispersal has increased migrant women's vulnerability to exploitation and trafficking and limited their access to gender-specific services[29]. While European Union asylum legislation acknowledges the particular needs of women asylum seekers and refugees[3], and the Istanbul Convention ensures its provisions are implemented without discrimination on grounds of migrant or refugee status[6], significant gaps remain in identifying trafficking survivors early, providing gender-sensitive reception conditions, and establishing proper referral mechanisms within asylum procedures[13]. Organizations such as ECRE continue to explore how EU asylum and anti-trafficking frameworks could better protect refugee women and girls[12].

What We Could Not Confirm

We could not confirm specific statistics on the number of women trafficked or exploited directly as a result of the Calais 'Jungle' dismantling. The current operational status and reach of all gender-specific support programs initiated since 2016 across Europe remain unclear.