Abstract
The ongoing emergency for refugees is having profound and hidden health consequences for thousands of displaced persons who live in informal ‘makeshift’ camps across Europe. This interdisciplinary paper reports the results of the first environmental health assessment in such a location, in what was Europe’s largest informal refugee camp in 2016, in Calais, northern France. We detail the lack of facilities for sanitation, safe provision of food, water and shelter, demonstrating how conditions fall short of agreed international standards for formal refugee camps. Rather than the notion of migrants being the cause of health problems, this paper critically reveals the hidden materiality of bodily injury caused by poor health conditions, where the camp itself produces harm. Drawing upon theories of biopolitical exclusion, the paper concludes by (i) emphasising the empirical and conceptual themes that tie refugee politics and biologies together and (ii) makes a call for increased attention to makeshift camps as key sites of health exclusion in Europe and beyond.
Highlights
The public health implications of abandoning forced-‐migrants to live in makeshift camps is critically under-‐ researched
Rather than the notion of migrants being the cause of health problems, this paper critically reveals the hidden materiality of bodily injury caused by poor health conditions, where the camp itself produces harm
Applying theories of biopolitical exclusion (Foucault 1998, Fassin 2001), we conceptualise the findings as the physical manifestation of new exclusions in public health
Summary
The public health implications of abandoning forced-‐migrants to live in makeshift camps is critically under-‐ researched. The ongoing global emergency for refugees is having devastating implications, with an estimated 60 million people worldwide currently displaced (UNHCR 2015). While the majority (86%) of these vulnerable people are hosted in developing countries such as Lebanon, Turkey and Pakistan (UNHCR 2015), between 2015 and 2016, over a million refugees entered Europe to seek asylum. Makeshift camps, which do not meet minimum humanitarian standards, have increasingly become accepted as ‘de facto’ living spaces for refugees in parts of Europe (Davies and Isakjee 2015). The paper details the results of the first holistic environmental health survey in such a setting empirically examines public health conditions to which residents of the camp were exposed. We conclude by emphasising the importance of critically and holistically researching situations in which health, environment and exclusion intertwine, in informal residential settings
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Accepted Version (
Free)
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call