The Minister of Children and Youth, Sira Rego, admitted this Wednesday in Tenerife that the reception of unaccompanied migrant children in the Canary Islands requires an “urgent response” and has opened the door to examine the regional government's proposal, the law to change in such a way that the distribution of these young people among autonomous communities is mandatory. After a meeting with the Canarian President, the nationalist Fernando Clavijo, the minister explained that before the end of the first quarter of the year there would be a meeting of both governments to examine the possible “approaches” of the measure, provided that there are several ministries involved.
Currently, the guardianship of these minors lies with the autonomous communities of arrival. As Clavijo explained on Monday, the islands are currently home to around 5,500 children, with 900 more since the beginning of the year. This situation has led to protests from the Canary Islands government, which describes the situation as “untenable” and calls for the solidarity distribution of these minors to be mandatory throughout the Spanish territory. To achieve this, the Ministry of Social Rights, Equality, Diversity and Youth has prepared a proposal that it sent last week to both the government of Pedro Sánchez and the political groups in Parliament. This Wednesday, Clavijo took advantage of the minister's visit to send her the document.
In any case, the minister emphasized that the change in the law alone was not enough to address a “complex problem”. For this reason, she has repeatedly stressed the need for a “comprehensive strategy” that allows us to talk “not just about reception, but also about training and employability”. A “comprehensive and structural measure” must therefore be taken so that reception resources are not “overburdened”, human rights are respected and the “transition” of minors into adulthood is guaranteed.
Clavijo described the meeting as “very fruitful.” In his statements, he highlighted the “empathy” and “change of attitude” towards his predecessor Ione Belarra. With regard to the implementation of the legal reforms, the regional president has advocated that the change regarding minors be made by legislative decree, which will later be confirmed by Congress. This is the fastest formula, he said. To illustrate the urgency of this measure and the poor functioning of the current “solidarity model”, Clavijo explained that the 347 child migrants who agreed to be distributed in October “have not yet been able to leave” because there are only three autonomous communities – Madrid and Galicia – Gabe and Aragon – have shown their willingness to receive them.
The minister has trusted that the implementation of these reforms, contained in the investiture agreement signed between the PSOE and the Canary Islands coalition, will not be blocked in the lower house due to the current parliamentary tensions between the blocs. “Anyone who is against the promotion of human rights and children must react politically and take a stand. We must be able to do it well, ensure resources so that the points of arrival are not overwhelmed, and at the same time the rights of everyone must be guaranteed, regardless of their place of birth,” Rego said.
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