Young people in refugee camps in Calais and Dunkirk are being sexually exploited and forced to commit crimes by traffickers, according to a Unicef report.



The document, which draws on six months of interviews and is due to be published on Thursday, paints a disturbing picture of the abuse of unaccompanied minors in camps in northern France. It says children are being subjected to sexual violence by traffickers who promise passage to the UK.

Children in the camps also told researchers they have been forced to work and commit crimes such as opening lorry doors to enable adults to be smuggled across the Channel.

The interviews reveal the trauma the children have suffered getting to Europe, their experiences in the camps and the risks they are taking to be reunited with family members, despite many having a safe and legal route available.

The home secretary, Theresa May, is expected to face questions from MPs on Monday about progress made on the government’s promise to fast-track unaccompanied child refugees from Europe into Britain.

Last month, in the face of a backbench rebellion, David Cameron made a U-turn over his opposition to taking child refugees stranded in Europe and pledged to let in an unspecified number in consultation with local authorities. He has promised to speed up family reunification, but the government has said it could take up to seven months to receive the first children.

About 150 refugee children in Calais have the right to enter the UK because they have families here, according to Citizens UK, a charity working to help them. It estimates that at the current rate it would take a year for all 150 to be reunited with their families.

A number of Syrian children who have recently found refuge in Britain via the family reunion policy have written an open letter urging the home secretary to “take our friends out of danger”.

In the letter, backed by Unicef, the children describe themselves as the lucky ones. They say they will never forget the “horrific months” spent in northern France or the friends they have left behind.

The letter urges May to employ 10 more staff so that all 150 children can be brought to Britain in time to start school after the summer.

A number of religious leaders including the archbishop of Canterbury have called on the government to allow 300 of the most vulnerable refugee children into Britain in time to start school in September. Unaccompanied children in Calais have been out of school for an average of three years, according to Citizens UK.

Unicef’s UK deputy executive director, Lily Caprani, said: “The government has said that unaccompanied children should be brought to the UK if they have family here, yet these children’s cases are moving far too slowly. It’s time for the government to turn its promise into a reality now, and get these children to their families.

“The children in Calais are the nearest and most visible cases of children who are fleeing conflict and making dangerous journeys in search of safety, yet have a legal right to live in safety with their families in the UK.

“I’ve met some of the unaccompanied children in Calais and have seen the terrible conditions they are living in. By taking immediate action for these children, the government can take a crucial first step to show it is serious about its recent commitments to refugee children.”

In the past month more than 100,000 people, including celebrities such as Andy Murray, Michael Sheen and Sir Chris Hoy, have backed a Unicef campaign to speed up the process of reuniting unaccompanied children in Europe with their families in the UK and widening immigration laws to allow children to be with extended family members who can care for them.