unaccompanied minors from all over France, meet to defend their rights

A rally between collectives of unaccompanied minors, from all over France took place in Lille on the weekend of May 3 and 4, 2025. This “national coordination” is an opportunity for isolated young people to organize their large-scale solidarity, and to federate around their struggle.

In a coffee in the Bois-Blancs district in Lille, several young people are still seated, others busy with dishes. They are qualified by the French law of “unaccompanied minors”, children who arrived alone on the territory, from abroad. This morning of Sunday, May 4, 2025, the last day of a coordinated meeting with young people from all over France. Appointment is given for 10 am, in the hangar of the association “Houblons-nous”, fitted out for the occasion.

A small thirty young people sit on the blue plastic chairs arranged in a circle to accommodate the general assembly of the day. Thierno speaks. He is one of the delegates of the Lille collective “Collective of young people in recourse of wood-whiteS “, named after the district which had welcomed a makeshift camp where nearly 70 young people lived until November 2024. They are today more than 100 to join the collective in the Lille metropolis. Most is awaiting recognition of minority by the services of the department, in order to be taken care of by the State.

On the agenda: how to organize at the national level? What subjects to wear, how to raise awareness? “”We will work together, with the same information“, insists Thierno in front of his comrades, the associations and residents solidarity who accompany their actions on a daily basis.” Delegates “of young people have made the trip from Toulouse, Tours or even Rouen to participate in this weekend of workshops and debates around the questions of accommodation, the duration of the appeal, or the schooling.

Lebon, 17, shows on his phone a TV report on the action of his collective in Rouen, which has around fifty young people in appeal. Made the choice to come to Lille today, because “In Rouen, we need relevant information: thanks to that, we get concrete things“. Lebon also highlights the various difficulties according to the municipalities.”In Paris, access to appointments to go to school is very difficult, because everything goes by internet. Rouen, it’s smaller, so it’s a little easier to have interviews“. Despite these disparities, the young man, who arrived from Cameroon a few months ago, retains the imperative to share the struggle”It is better to have a national solution than to make the case by case, and The fact of being united it gives a real strength, of the energy“.

During the General Assembly, the speaking towers were scrupulously respected. “”It gives reflections, sharing“, Supports Mohamed, Lille delegate, whose energy speeches are often welcomed by the smiles of his comrades. Very committed to the collective, the young man was recognized minor about ten days ago.”We don’t want to separate, we meet even after school. It’s the family“, He smiles, designating some of his friends, who play football outside.

Hands get up, the debates are linked. Young people organize themselves in small groups to write post -educational posts for social networks: “What is an isolated minor? What does it mean to be recourse?“. “If our claims are only limited to what surrounds us, we will have less visibility“, Harts a delegate from the Parisian collective” minors as a recourse to the Belleville park “.

Alassane, 16, is one of the 450 young migrants who occupied the Parisian performance hall of the Gaîté Lyrique, for three months. Expected in mid-March, several unaccompanied minors met on the street. “”In all cities, there are minors who sleep outside, who are abandoned by the state. It is very important to be there, it is necessary to display the national coordination“, proclaims the boy, arrived in France just five months ago.”Our place is not in the street“, insists Alassane, now housed thanks to the solidarity of a Parisian high school, who also agreed to educate him.

While Reunion is coming to an end, young people gather around the same slogans, despite geographic distance. “”This weekend was an opportunity to share our expectations. We invite young people, teachers, inhabitants, as well as the whole population to fight with us“Concludes one of them before the Assembly. This meeting marks the second in a long series for Alassane: “oWe had already seen itself in Paris last September, it is the beginning of something big“, He hopes.

The Nord department is the one that welcomes the most unaccompanied minors in France. They were 528 in 2024. In November 2024, the services of the Department had released 52 accommodation places for young people in appeal, after ten months of occupation of the Campment of the Bois-Blancs district. This year, the end of the winter break in April 2025 put several young people in street situations, the parishes could no longer welcome them during their appeals. The accommodation solutions remain uncertain, alternating with the few places unlocked by the prefecture, the solidarity of town halls and parishes, and the support of associations.