The UK’s policy to stop asylum seekers from crossing the Channel in small boats has led to an increase in violence, deaths and smuggler control, but has not deterred arrivals, according to a report by human rights organisations.
The 176-page report from Humans for Rights Network, includes contributions from 17 refugee and human rights organisations operating in northern France and six in the UK.
It details the use of rubber bullets and teargas by French police, who have been given hundreds of millions of pounds by the UK to secure the UK border, along with testimonies from asylum seekers and professionals including doctors who treat those trying to reach UK.
The report was shared with the Home Office, which did not comment on the content, instead describing the number of small boat crossings as “shameful”.
It follows a report from the Mixed Migration Centre of the Danish Refugee Council, which has found that hardline migration policies are fuelling people smuggling.
Despite the money spent by the UK government to prevent crossings, they remain at a high level.
So far this year, more than 39,000 people have crossed the Channel in dinghies, which is an increase on last year’s total of about 37,000 but not as high as the 2022 record of 46,000.
The report calls for a statutory inquiry into the increase in deaths and violence, along with the establishment of safe routes.
“This investigation should seek to establish how UK funding contributed to the increase in violence including the rise in the power of smugglers in response to heightened security and lack of safe routes,” the report states.
It adds: “Reinforced securitisation does not operate as a deterrent but instead makes it increasingly dangerous for people to cross the border.”
According to the report in 2024, the organisation Human Rights Observers documented 28 violent police operations targeting transport networks used by asylum seekers in northern France resulting in at least 44 arrests.
The organisation observed more than 800 evictions of living sites affecting at least 16,365 people.
The French association Utopia 56 found that between March and September 2025, 680 people were affected by police violence in northern France at times when they were not attempting to cross the Channel. In 2024, there were a record 89 deaths recorded of people trying to cross the Channel.
An increase in violence by the people smugglers, who routinely carry guns, is documented in the report, with at least four people shot dead in and around a camp in Dunkirk so far in 2025. One 16-year-old autistic boy had a gun held to his head by smugglers.
“By allowing smuggling networks to decide who is and isn’t allowed to cross, the UK and French governments have handed over the fundamental right of access to asylum to these organised criminal networks,” the report states.
The charity Médecins du Monde said that 88% of the medical treatment it provided was for conditions linked to people’s poor living conditions.
One doctor from a clinic in Calais which treats people waiting to cross the Channel said that fuel burns from dinghy engines were not uncommon, particularly to lower legs and feet, resulting in some people’s feet being “macerated” inside their shoes, particularly when they had to walk long distances after a failed crossing attempt.
Lily MacTaggart from Humans for Rights Network said: “The violence at the UK-France border is endemic, causing acute emotional distress and significant damage to people’s health.
“The UK and France are both responsible for funding this violence, implementing policies which abuse human rights and in some cases have caused death.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The number of small boat crossings is shameful and the British people deserve better.
“France remains a critical partner in securing our borders, and our joint work has already prevented over 21,000 crossing attempts so far this year. Thanks to our landmark deal, people crossing in small boats can now also be detained and removed.”
France’s interior ministry was approached for comment.
