The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has found that France is responsible for grave and systematic violations of the rights of unaccompanied migrant children, stating that many are being left homeless, deprived of basic care, and living in conditions that the Committee described as “degrading” and “contrary to human dignity”.

The Committee concluded that France has breached its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child by violating a wide range of children’s rights. These include the best interests of the child, the rights to health care and education, as well as the prohibition of detention for migration-related reasons and inhuman or degrading treatment, among others.