Unaccompanied Migrant Teens Allege Abuse and Racism at French Shelter, Sparking Investigation

On April 14, unaccompanied minors filed a complaint for racial discrimination and abuse against the Savea 78-Espoir shelter that housed them and the head of service. Three days later, they sent a letter to the public prosecutor. On April 7, they had sent a letter signed by 22 unaccompanied young people, equivalent to an appeal to the children’s judge. Since then, an investigation has been opened for "mistreatment and discrimination. People should be heard shortly," says the Versailles prosecutor’s office.

In this letter, they recount what they experienced in the 78-Espoir shelter. "Since our care, we have suffered acts of abuse that endanger our physical and psychological well-being," the letter states. "[...] We have tried to report these abuses, but no concrete action has been taken to protect us, which is why we are turning to you with the hope of obtaining justice and protection." They claim that three of them were thrown out on the street, overnight, on February 24, "without justification or official document," and this, in the middle of the winter truce.

"We were evicted from the facility, without accommodation, without money and without the possibility to defend ourselves. Our personal effects, including important administrative documents such as a passport, were thrown in the trash," confide two of them. "We slept in a garbage room, then in the Trappes train station. We were able to eat thanks to the meals served by the Trappes mosque during Ramadan," write these teenagers.

They accuse the head of service who arrived in 2023 within this association, which "has a good reputation," of "long-term abuse." "Since taking office, we have suffered repeated humiliation, insults, racist and defamatory remarks, threats of denunciation to the prefecture aimed at blocking our regularization procedures, as well as the unjustified suppression of our allowances and vital aid," assure these young people. They were able to benefit from the support of the educational community of the Vaucanson high school, in Les Mureaux, where they are enrolled, and the association les blouses blanches pour les libertés fondamentales, which found housing solutions.

Their daily life is marked by insults. "Go back to your country, eat stones. She tells us to go sell cigarettes in Barbès like our brothers, searches our underwear. The lady never speaks to us normally. We are treated like dogs..." enumerate the two young people who filed the complaint. One is Egyptian, the other is Moroccan. They are currently preparing a vocational training certificate in catering. "She confiscated the computers that the region gave us for our classes. And we have no Wi-Fi at the shelter, nor a TV," they continue. They complain that they have not received their 20 euros of pocket money for months and have found that the 270 euros per month they receive for their shopping would have been reduced by several tens of euros. The quarterly clothing budget of 120 euros would not be spared either.

After becoming aware of the complaints, the management of the shelter terminated the contract of the head of service. "We have launched an internal investigation," explains the director. The head of service has been suspended. I don’t think her return is planned, or even possible. I can’t conceive of keeping someone who would have made inappropriate remarks towards the children." However, he will moderate the accusations of these young people. "We often observe that they have difficulty managing their money. When they receive their allowances, they tend to buy sneakers or other things and the fridges remain empty. As a result, we decided to have a common pot. Some young people disagreed, because they send the money to their families."

Regarding the expulsion of the three young people from the shelter, the management explains: "Two of these three young people had brought a young girl into their apartment, which is prohibited. This was observed by several people." As for the third, she indicates: "This is a young person under an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF). From there, we are not required to keep him, especially since he is of age like the other two."