Lone children were held at UK-run detention centres in France on nearly 300 occasions last year, according to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act. The data, obtained by the Guardian, shows that unaccompanied minors have been detained at British short-term facilities near Calais and Dunkirk about 900 times over the last four years.
Refugee charities described the figures as 'shocking' and raised concerns about secrecy surrounding the treatment of children in these facilities. Inspectors last year reported 'poor' conditions at the sites, which are designed to hold clandestine travellers and those with incorrect paperwork for no longer than 24 hours.
The FOI documents reveal 284 cases of minors held at the sites in 2025, a 10% rise from 258 in 2024. That year saw a 197% increase from 87 cases in 2023. In 2022, there were 253 children recorded. Overall detentions of adults and children at the sites fell to 7,454 in 2025 from 9,736 in 2024.
Inspectors raised safeguarding issues after authorities failed to locate referrals for two vulnerable child detainees who were subsequently re-trafficked. A 14-year-old girl found zipped in a holdall and a 16-year-old boy with a history of trafficking were detained and handed to French border police. The girl later reached the UK and escaped from a warehouse, fearing forced prostitution; the boy was also found in the UK.
Kama Petruczenko of the Refugee Council said: 'These facilities are UK-run and form part of the UK’s border operations so we should be worried that so many children continue to be detained.' Jonathan Ellis of the Detention Forum added: 'With the government planning to develop their detention estate in France, this lack of accountability must be addressed urgently.'
The figures emerge as a new French detention centre funded by the UK faces a legal challenge from an environmental group over planning violations. The facility, part of a £660m deal, was intended to detain migrants attempting to cross the Channel. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'Where we identify serious safeguarding concerns... we will bring that child into a place of safety.'
