NGOs have celebrated the agreement reached on Tuesday by the Government and Junts to distribute unaccompanied migrant minors, a «progress» in the face of a «serious» situation.
In this regard, the NGO Servicio Jesuita Migrante (SJM) has stated in statements to Europa Press that, pending the final text, «concerns the lack of responsibility that allows the political instrumentalization of migrant children.»
In any case, it has indicated that it is a «progress» to unblock «such a serious situation that is violating the rights of migrant children.» «Although it is fundamentally related to the lack of planning and underfunding of the capacities to manage the reception and integration of migration flows, especially of the most vulnerable migrants. In this case, migrant children who travel alone,» it has pointed out.
Likewise, the SJM has criticized the construction of a «narrative of migration crisis» when «it is a recurring situation that has been happening systematically for the last 20 years.» «Although it is a matter that affects guardianship minors and therefore the autonomy’s competence, we are concerned that this lack of planning and the eventual transfer of migration competences will further weaken the capacity to provide guarantees in the entire state,» it has warned.
Along the same lines, the Director General of the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR) has applauded in statements to Europa Press that the situation of unaccompanied migrant minors is finally unblocked. «In general, without knowing the details, which will have to be studied carefully, we welcome the establishment of a measure that is also mandatory for all autonomous communities if they do not agree beforehand,» he stated.
He has also welcomed the approval of this royal decree law being accompanied by an economic allocation, «which may allow this mandatory allocation mechanism not to be implemented because the autonomous communities assume it voluntarily,» a scenario that would be the «ideal» for CEAR.
However, CEAR considers the government’s plan to activate the mandatory contingency only when there is an overcrowding of three times the reception capacity of a particular autonomous community as «too much.» «Compared to previous drafts that mentioned an overcrowding of 150%, reaching 300% seems excessive to us,» he explained.
In addition, regarding the 15-day deadline for the transfer of minors, CEAR sees it as a «very difficult» deadline to meet. «Not so much because it is not ideal, which of course the shorter the deadlines, the better, but because in case it is not executed, what situation would the minor be left in? Would their stay be extended in a situation of saturation of the facility they are in? And that seems to us to be a worrying issue,» Valiente explained.
Regarding criticisms from the autonomous communities of Madrid and Valencia, Valiente has stated that he trusts «common sense» and the application of the principle of legality that obliges everyone, all citizens, but above all, all administrations.
On the other hand, the Campaigns and Communication Manager at Accem, María Tejada, has highlighted that «any agreement and policy that contributes to providing a better reception and greater protection to unaccompanied minors arriving in Spain will always be welcomed by this NGO.
«At Accem, we believe that a fair distribution will not only help respond to an urgent situation that needs immediate action to protect minors, but it will also help generate long-term solutions that will help address the aggravated vulnerability situation experienced by minors arriving alone in our country,» she emphasized.
For Accem, unaccompanied migrant minors «should be at the center of public policies.» «And from that perspective, Accem will always be in favor of policies that contribute to improving their well-being and protecting them,» she pointed out.
INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEW BEFORE TRANSFER
From the childhood NGOs, UNICEF Spain has welcomed «with satisfaction» the agreement reached and has requested that the transfers be carried out «with all possible guarantees,» that the best interests of the child prevail at all times, and that children be heard and their situation evaluated «individually.»
«We hope that it is definitively approved, that it is implemented with the co-responsibility and cooperation of all autonomous communities, that there is sufficient support and resources from the central government for all of them, and also that these transfers are carried out with all possible guarantees, so that these children are protected at all times,» requested the migration specialist from UNICEF Spain, Sara Collantes.
According to Collantes, the situation of unaccompanied children in the Canary Islands and Ceuta has been «extraordinarily worrying» for months, and the «saturation» of the child protection system on the southern border is «unsustainable.» «The Canary Islands have more than 5,500 children in a system prepared for 2,000, and Ceuta has centers four times above their capacity,» she warned.
In the same vein, Save The Children has stated that they were «eagerly awaiting» reaching a consensus on this issue and asked for «an individual interview» with each child to be transferred «to identify their needs.»
«We have been saying for a long time that the situation in the Canary Islands is unsustainable, but also that this needs to be resolved structurally, there has to be foresight,» emphasized the Director of Social Impact and Child Policies at Save the Children Spain, Catalina Perazzo, in statements to Europa Press.
Additionally, she stressed the importance of listening to the children. According to Perazzo, the draft amendment to Article 35 that they had access to at the time had «room for improvement» in the sense that «there was no provision for any interaction with the children» before their transfer to take into account, for example, if they have any relatives in a community, any mental health needs, or any reason to seek international protection.
