Santa Cruz de Tenerife 19 Mar. (Europa Press) –
The common deputy, Lola Padrón, has called on Wednesday for a “structural transformation” in the enforcement of migrant rights, particularly concerning “critical situations” and child migrants.
Padrón convened with the Fündec and Health teams to examine the barriers faced by migrant minors accessing the educational system in the Canary Islands, as well as the repercussions of immigration policies on the health of migrants and their families, which is contributing to a “global health crisis.”
This meeting was prompted by the necessity to monitor and expand upon a series of individual and general complaints that the Fündec Foundation has been presenting regarding the institutional racism evident in the schooling policies of migrant minors as implemented by the Government of the Canary Islands.
Legal advisor Vania Oliveros from Fündec contends that “these policies contravene the best interests of the child, a principle that, as outlined in the 1989 Children’s Rights Convention, must underpin public policies affecting children.”
This situation underscores the health complaint by law, which, in its recent report ‘Migration policy in the EU as a global health crisis’, has highlighted the serious violations of rights encountered by migrants.
The Foundation emphasises the necessity for a political agenda that prioritises health equity at the forefront of discussions regarding current immigration policies, according to a statement from the Diputación del Common.
It also raises concerns about the consequences of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum (PEMA), which will entrench systematic detention as a normative practice.
“Prolonged exposure to extreme stress conditions during detention has catastrophic effects on health, particularly in children, who are at a heightened risk of developing serious illnesses, such as lung cancer or cardiovascular diseases, with their life expectancy potentially reduced by up to twenty years,” states Jaime Manzano, researcher and advocacy lead of the foundation.
