Note

For more than ten years, Migreurop’s migrant encampment map has been continuously evolving. From 2003 when the initial compilation started during the European Social Forum held in Paris-Saint-Denis to 2013 when the project of dynamic mapping of migrant detention sites in Europe and beyond was set up, the number of camps has continued to increase, with larger capacity structures and the renovation of a multitude of smaller permanent or temporary detention centres. This was illustrated in various ways in the 2012 edition and the Migreurop annual report 2011.

Graphic representations of the various modes of detention which have been used over the years do not fully show the spatial evolution of detention sites. The dynamic mapping project aims to make this possible.

The encampment map, which has been published in many books, newspapers and scientific articles, is also used in web documentaries, films and artistic works. From a sheet of paper hanging in a squat to a canvas covering the façade of a building, it will always be there to remind us of the existence of these camps and the inhuman and degrading conditions faced by women, children and men living there. It represents a call to the governments of the European Union and elsewhere to stop using detention for the purpose of controlling migration and reject the logic of confinement based solely on the lack of a valid residency permit or travel document.