At the time of writing this article, a tragic milestone has been reached as the 500th person has lost their life attempting to cross the border to the UK from Calais and Northern France.  Starkly, this figure is a bare minimum, as it represents only those whose deaths have been recorded. Many more will have died. Since 1999, as far as we know, at least 504 people have died trying to reach the United Kingdom or at its border, and a very large number are still missing.

It's so important to ensure that each of these individuals is remembered and prayed for. To enable this to happen, a memorial, held in Calais, has been designed which lists each of the victims' names.

This International Refugee Week (June 16th-23rd), the memorial, named 'Victims of the Border: a memorial to those who journeyed in hope', will be installed at Canterbury Cathedral, giving visitors a chance to read the names, reflect and pray for them and their loved ones. We say their names so that we do not forget them, and the tragedy that continues to unfold.  Most importantly, we ensure that the victims at the border are not mere statistics. 

Bradon Muillenburg, our Anglican Refugee Support Lead based in Calais, is responsible for the memorial. In the video below, he shares how it offers an opportunity for us as Christians to come alongside those who mourn.  To remember that every single life is precious in God's eyes. He suggests that we all pick a name at random from the memorial to spend time thinking about them, imagining what they may have hoped for and their dreams for a safe place to live and thrive.

Please note that this content is distressing. 

We encourage all churches and chaplaincies to do just this.  Perhaps a few names could be included in intercessions.  Many of the names on the memorial can be found online here:

Deaths at the Calais Border – Calais Migrant Solidarity (there are also some details about some of these individuals and how they died).

There is also a map of where people lost their lives, which can be found here:

Observatory of deaths at the borders: France: Belgium: UK   

Bradon has also described to us that whenever someone loses their life while travelling through Calais, members of different communities and local volunteers gather to honour them. Prayers are said, silence is kept, and their life is remembered — no matter who they were or where they came from. There is also a fund to help with tracing victims, documenting and assisting in funeral costs on this link. These moments of remembrance are also a way of standing in solidarity with all who face the hardship of such journeys and against violence in all its forms. 
 
We say their names, so we do not forget.