SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 3 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Ombudsman, Dolores Padrón, has urged public institutions this Tuesday to “return to the path of dialogue” to address the challenges regarding the reception of unaccompanied migrant minors, primarily due to the overcrowding of facilities across the islands.
“We must engage,” he stated to the press following a meeting with the President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, and the Minister of Social Welfare, Candelaria Delgado, where he advocated for collaboration “at the table” to seek “agreement.”
Padrón expressed that he is “deeply troubled” by the circumstances surrounding migrant minors, citing the pigeon centre in Santa Cruz de Tenerife as a prime example, and emphasised that this is a matter that “should occupy and concern the State along with those involved in immigration agreements.”
In this regard, he made it clear that “the necessary legal reforms” must be enacted to ensure that African minors arriving on the islands are provided with suitable conditions and that their rights are upheld.
The discussion with the Government also highlighted the “critical need to modernise public services,” as the “credibility crisis” that public administrations are experiencing is “largely attributable” to bureaucracy, which hinders the timely and appropriate responses to citizens, particularly in dependency and disability matters.
“In dependency, the volume of complaints has stabilised, yet they remain high. This is not positive news because, even if it appears so, there continues to be a significant number of complaints, with those regarding disabilities increasing by nearly 13%,” he remarked.
Consequently, he has urged the Executive to organise future meetings, considering there are citizens who “are entitled to resources that they cannot access” due to lacking necessary assessments, while he alerted to the growing obsolescence of public administration “structures” that exhibit “difficulties” in responding promptly in the “technology-driven and immediate” era.
“The administration must not serve as a shield but should begin to evolve to be more responsive to the demands of the citizens,” he stressed.
Padrón has additionally called for improved coordination between Visocan and the Canarian Housing Institute (Icavi) in light of the ongoing issues regarding access to housing on the islands, “which is the predominant concern for Canary Islands residents at present.”
