MSF, Doctors Without Borders, view of France
In France, we work with migrants and refugees, who encounter policies and practices aimed at preventing them from settling or claiming their rights.

Unaccompanied minors are among the most vulnerable, finding themselves confronted by a lack of information and a maze of administrative bureaucracy. We work in a day centre for unaccompanied minors in Pantin, in the suburbs of Paris, offering respite, medical care and administrative support.

Our teams also run mobile clinics for migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in Paris and monitor the situation throughout the country.
 

 

Our activities in 2023 in France

Data and information from the International Activity Report 2023.

MSF IN FRANCE IN 2023 In response to the French government’s hardening stance on migration, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) expanded activities to assist migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees across France.
MSF in France 2023

Throughout the year, MSF continued to provide general healthcare and psychosocial services to people on the move, with a focus on unaccompanied minors.

In Calais, we started conducting medical and psychological consultations for people living in makeshift camps. In July, we opened a day centre for unaccompanied minors, where we offered medical and psychological support, as well as psychosocial and recreational activities. During the winter months, when northern France was hit by extremely harsh weather, we launched an emergency shelter programme.

In Pantin, on the outskirts of Paris, we provided unaccompanied minors with medical, psychological, social and legal support. We also ran a 20-bed shelter to accommodate minors in particularly vulnerable situations, and offered financial and logistical support to a 10-bed shelter for girls. In addition, we sent mobile teams to ensure access to healthcare for people living on the streets or in unsafe buildings.

In Marseille, we scaled up our assistance to unaccompanied minors. As well as providing multidisciplinary support in our 20-bed shelter, we started conducting medical consultations in squats and camps.

In light of a controversial new immigration bill that further undermines migrants’ and refugees’ rights in France, we publicly alerted the government and health authorities to the dire consequences that restrictions on access to healthcare have on foreign nationals living in precarious conditions.

IN 2023

 
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