Two Women Die in Migrant Boat Grounding Off Northern France; UK Schools Join Refugee Initiative

PARIS — A small boat carrying 82 migrants ran aground on a beach in northern France on Sunday during an attempted crossing to the UK, leaving two women dead and 16 people injured. The vessel set out overnight from Hardelot beach, a few kilometers south of the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, but its engine failed and it began to drift.

Christophe Marx, secretary-general of the Pas-de-Calais prefecture, said the boat was overcrowded, leading to the deaths most likely from suffocation.

A French maritime gendarmerie vessel rescued 17 people and brought them to Boulogne-sur-Mer, while the boat ran aground with 65 others still on board. The two dead women were believed to be in their 20s and to have come from Sudan. Marx stated they were crushed or asphyxiated, as often happens on boats where too many people are packed in, and an investigation was underway regarding the deaths.

Authorities reported 16 people were injured in the incident, including three with serious burns caused by fuel at the bottom of the boat. Three of the injured were in very serious condition with burns, Marx added. The incident on Sunday was the third deadly incident involving migrants trying to cross to the UK in just over a month.

Last month, two men and two women died as they were trying to board an inflatable boat off the coast of northern France. British authorities arrested a man from Sudan on suspicion of endangering life in that case. The week before the last month's incident, two other people died in similar circumstances off the coast north of Calais.

The UK and French governments signed a new multimillion-euro deal last month aimed at reducing the number of migrants crossing the English Channel. The deal includes increased police patrols and enhanced surveillance in northern France. More than 6,000 migrants have reached the UK after crossing the channel so far this year, a number down 36% from the same period last year.

Before Sunday's deaths, migrant aid group Utopia 56 stated that at least 172 people have died at the French-UK border over the past three years, including 123 at sea. Official data indicates that seven million migrants will come to the UK in the next decade, pushing the nation’s population to a record high.

In a separate development, more than 1,100 schools and nurseries across the UK have signed up to the Schools of Sanctuary programme, run by the City of Sanctuary network.

Schools in the programme complete a rigorous award process to prove they are working collaboratively to strengthen community approaches to welcoming refugee children and families. Schools awarded the programme pay a minimum donation of £75 to £300. The programme provides a suggested reading list including the book Kind by Alison Green, illustrated by Quentin Blake and Axel Scheffler.

The book Kind tells children that sometimes people have lived through very hard times and have had to leave their homes and countries because of danger, and that they are brave and amazing with extraordinary stories to tell. It states that sometimes people say there’s no room for anyone more, but maybe you can say ‘There’s plenty of room!

’ The programme's suggested reading list includes the book Everybody’s Welcome by Patricia Hegarty, which states that everybody’s welcome, no matter who they are, wherever they may come from, whether near or far.

It also includes the book Elmer and the Hippos. Schools in the programme are encouraged to hold an annual Day of Welcome in June. Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott demanded that the books be withdrawn immediately.

Trott stated that classrooms should be places of learning not promoting political ideology and that schools have a very clear duty to stay out of politics. She stated that portraying the arrival of small boats as a positive thing in books for children as young as five is indoctrination and an illegal practice.

The City of Sanctuary UK stated that it works with schools to support a culture of welcome, inclusion and understanding for all members of the community.

It stated that its suggested educational resources, including book recommendations, are designed to help children develop empathy, critical thinking, and awareness of the experiences of others. In Southern California suburbs, Jillian Pretzel, a mom of three young kids aged 5, 3, and 1, has embraced walking since moving from New York City.

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