It is often a challenge for health workers dealing with incoming migrants on Spain’s Canary Islands to identify the specific reasons for the continuous crying of children. Migrants from various age groups arrive in various states of distress and harm, with young ones sometimes affected by sickness, physical injury, or the sheer shock of recent experiences. An instance of this was seen in a young boy from Senegal whose constant fainting gave physicians pause. Eventually, other migrants revealed the tragic truth— the young boy was dealing with the traumatic loss of his parents during the grueling boat journey from West Africa, their bodies committed to the Atlantic Sea.
Activists and others familiar with the issues watch with growing concern as the island cluster grapples with thousands of unaccompanied minors making the journey from African countries such as Mali and Senegal. Fleeing circumstances of poverty, conflict, and unstable governance, these young migrants embark on a perilous journey towards European Union territory in the hope of a better future. There is a legislative proposal that Spain’s parliament will consider this week aimed at compelling other regions to share accountability for these children currently enduring harsh conditions in the islands.
This proposed legislation has been unable to escape the lens of current national politics and cannot be guaranteed to proceed. Spain’s right-wing leading opposition the Popular Party has found itself in a predicament. It is being petitioned by their senior partner, the Canary Coalition party, which forms part of the Canary Island government, to back this legislation. At the same time, the extremist Vox party, which vehemently opposes irregular migration, explicitly involving unaccompanied minors, has issued threats of withdrawing its agreements with the Popular Party held in other regions if any movement is made towards relocating the children.
Responsibility for the guardianship of these children upon arrival currently lies with the local regional bodies as per Spanish legal provisions. But the government of the Canary Islands vocally admits to being overwhelmed with the sheer scale of the challenge. Children exceeding 5,500 in number have landed there, a figure astronomically higher than the region’s capability to handle a maximum of 2,000 minors.
The Canary Islands are grappling with more than just a shortage of physical space. The regional government faces difficulties in procuring adequately trained professionals to work with this influx of young migrants at these islands, situated roughly 1,300 kilometers from mainland Spain. This deficit means that these children and teenagers are not receiving the entitlements they should as per the Spanish and European Law including but not limited to education and healthcare provision.
News outlets from Spain report on squalid conditions in packed shelters on the islands, detailing instances of mistreatment and abuse. Emergency shelters have been hastily set up in tents on the island of Lanzarote to accommodate fresh immigrants. Activists warn that the situation could gravely worsen with boats continuing to launch from the coasts of Mauritania, Senegal, and Western Sahara towards the Spanish Islands.
This year has seen a drastic increase in the number of individuals reaching the islands, with a figure nearing 20,000 marking a 160% surge compared to three years ago. These statistics do not yet account for the fact that the peak period for migrant crossings commences only in autumn.
Earlier in the year, a deal worth 210 million euros was signed between the European Union and Mauritania to curb smugglers from initiating voyages towards Spain. However, this arrangement has done little to alleviate the rate at which new migrants come in.
Experts fear a failing vote in the Spanish parliament concerning the proposed legislation could signify a significant setback for Spain and Europe. In light of Spain’s 48 million population, many argue that it should not be challenging for regions in the mainland to support the arrival of a few hundred children while the Canary Islands continue to care for the greater portion of unaccompanied minors.
Spain’s Ombudsman Angel Gabilondo has made urgent calls for reform in legal and structural matters after witnessing the conditions of underage migrant shelters in Tenerife firsthand. Despair is palpable among these children, many of whom have been in shelter homes for quite some time with no visible prospects of a change in their situation. The stress laid on the humane treatment of these individuals being more important than its economic and political implications.
Healthcare professionals like Mora Peces express a sense of powerlessness when faced with children arriving in deplorable conditions after hazardous sea voyages. Mora Peces, who works at El Hierro, shared a moving encounter from a recent workday that involved a toddler girl who journeyed from Senegal alongside her mother and brother. The child got separated and sadly passed away despite all resuscitation attempts. Delivering news of her demise to her grieving mother was a task Peces had to undertake.
While the greater part of the arriving unaccompanied minors is primarily adolescent boys, increasingly, young children, particularly girls, are making this risky journey alone. Just under 200 have braved the passage in the recent eight months alone. They are trying to escape difficult circumstances such as forced marriages or abusive relationships, in pursuit of improved living conditions.
Workers like Peces express horror at the derogatory language employed by certain politicians in Madrid, particularly from the Popular Party and Vox, to discuss this crisis – out of sync with the reality of the children caught amid it. They believe that such discourse overlooks the fact that the discourse revolves around people, particularly children, and not just abstract numbers or political fodder.