Calais volunteers accused of sexually abusing refugees

Volunteers at the "Jungle" migrant camp in Calais have been accused of sexually exploiting refugees, including children.

Clare Mosely, founder of the charity Care4Calais, said: "It isn't recognised as an official refugee camp, it's an illegal settlement. So we've got no way of forcing anyone to leave. That is the difficulty."

The UN's refugee agency called for all charities in Calais to impose a zero-tolerance policy on exploitation in order to preserve the "integrity" of volunteer work.

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A row has broken out among volunteer groups over the issue, with some unpaid charity workers at the camp condoning sexual relations with adult refugees and others claiming it breaches ethical codes of conduct.

The allegations came to light after an online discussion between volunteers that was later deleted. In one exchange seen by The Independent, a man wrote of how he had heard of "boys, believed to be under the age of consent, having sex with volunteers" as well as "stories of men using the prostitutes in the Jungle".

International aid organisation Save the Children expressed concern at the lack of monitoring in Calais, but said sexual exploitation was made easier by the fact the camp was not officially recognised by the authorities.

"It all stems from the fact that the Jungle has been this ignored black hole in one of the largest economies on the planet," said Ruairidh Valler, international media manager of Save the Children.